RWBY Meetings
by lyokoMARVELanime
Summary: A special one-shot series in which the heroes of RWBY end up encountering various heroes from other series. Tune in to see a lot of team-ups and celebrity guest stars from other shows tag-team with Ruby and her friends in many different kinds of adventures. It could be a simple short-story, or an idea that could be expanded on later. You're likely to find at least 1 story to enjoy
1. The Scooby-Doo Gang

_**Ladies and gentlemen! Hunters and Huntresses! People and animals, and all other forms of life in any world, making its first foray into the world of Remnant, welcome one and all to the one, the only, studio of lyokoMARVELanime! And now, here's your host, the man, the myth, the legend, the crossover crafter, the epic builder, the author behind the studio himself, lyokoMARVELanime!**_

_**[audience applause as author runs out on stage before plopping down in his usual desk chair]**_

_**AN: Hey everybody! Pretty exciting huh? It is our first ever RWBY story, after all, and I doubt anyone has any reason to not be excited.**_

_**Weiss: So much for being a while before you finally made something. I thought you weren't going to have us show up in any of your stories for a long time or something.**_

_**AN: No what I said was that the earliest time you guys would appear would be as special guests in one of my Kingdom Hearts story series, at that time, but, lucky for you guys, I did manage to find a way to get you guys into your own story a little sooner, or more accurately, your own one-shot series.**_

_**Blake: What're you talking about?**_

_**AN: Okay, so it's like this: I've been juggling around various different ideas for stories I could do for you guys, but none of them really seemed to hold much weight, just seemed like the sort of thing that would be a one-and-done, or were just flat-out too silly to ever be taken seriously by anyone, including me. It was honestly starting to seem like I would never come up with anything other than what I had planned for you guys in my two KH series, until one day, it finally hit me.**_

_**Ruby: One of Yang's punches?**_

_**AN: Funny. Very cute and funny. No, the solution to the whole problem. Why try to make one big story right away, when I can test the waters with a simpler series of short stories? Namely ones in which the heroes of RWBY meet and team-up with various characters and heroes from other series. And thus, RWBY Meetings was born!**_

_**Yang: So what? This like a sounding board for you to use in order to figure out which ideas you should push forward with in the future or something?**_

_**AN: Partially. This will consist of a variety of different stories. Things like AUs where the guest stars exist in the same world as the rest of the RWBY cast, where the reverse is the case, the old classic heroes traveling to another universe bit, or even series where the world of RWBY is actually just another planet in the same universe as the guest star heroes'. You may even see some sneak previews of things that will come later on down the line in one or two of my other stories that may or may not feature Team RWBY and their friends, like the Kingdom Hearts storylines that I mentioned earlier. I'll do my best to specify which one each short story is before you guys get into things, like today.**_

_**This time around, we will be seeing an AU where our special guest stars exist in the same world as RWBY, and what better guest stars to kick this off than the group that helped give me the inspiration for this one-shot series? Ruby, care to do the honors?**_

_**Ruby: Sure thing! Ahem...Today Team RWBY meets the Scooby-Doo Gang!...Did I do that right?**_

_**AN: Perfectly. Now on with the show everyone! And please, try to go a little easy on me. As I mentioned this is my very first ever RWBY fanfiction, so I really don't know if I've done good or bad with it.**_

_**I do not own anything from any of the RWBY franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

**The Scooby-Doo Gang**

After helping to stop all the Grimm that had invaded during the breach, you would think that the Huntsmen and Huntresses would take some time off for a while. It would make sense, since after a fight like that, anyone would need to rest up, repair their weapons, replenish their supplies of Dust, and for the younger generation, start preparing and planning for the upcoming Vytal Festival Tournament. However, that is not necessarily the case, for life always continues to go on, and wherever there is a need for so much as one Huntsman, there would always be work for the defenders of Remnant. You need not look for any further proof than the fact that Beacon Academy's very own Glynda Goodwitch was currently aboard a Bullhead that was flying out into the main city of the kingdom of Vale on one such job, accompanied by none other than the team of Huntresses-in-training that had been at the center of the battle right from the start: Team RWBY.

While she may come off as indifferent to most of her students' plights and needs to be kids for a while, Glynda did in fact understand why Ozpin would want the students to have a chance to be kids, and part of that would include allowing the four girls to rest up after that particular battle. Sadly, the world was not privy to allowing such things, and thus, she had been forced to call upon the four to aid her in this newest job. Not that it seemed to bother the youngest student to ever be enrolled at Beacon Academy, but then again in her experience with the young girl, Glynda would have found it stranger that Ruby Rose was not excited about any variety of Huntress work. Although, looking over at Ruby as they flew to their destination, Glynda could not help but feel that Ruby was particularly excited about this job for some reason that she could not fathom.

To say she was not the only one to notice would have been a blatant statement of the obvious, but it was no surprise to anyone that she was not the first one to try and get Ruby to settle down. "Ruby, will you calm down," Weiss Schnee practically ordered. "We can't let our client think that we're amateurs getting our first job, so you could at least try to show some form of professionalism."

"Oh come on, Weiss! This is our second official job as Huntresses," Ruby happily reasoned, once again proving immune to her partner's otherwise cold attitude.

"It's not going to be something like the job at Mountain Glenn, though. We're just guarding a random museum," one Blake Belladona pointed out. Sometimes Glynda was surprised by just how jaded the young Faunus girl really was, but then again, given what she had heard about the girl from Ozpin, it was no wonder that she would not share the same spark of energy as more than half of her team did. At least, not to the same extent.

"Yeah, a museum about cool monsters and mysteries that have been around in all the kingdoms for ages," Yang grinned to her partner. "You can't tell me that you wouldn't like getting a look at all the exhibits that talk about all the cool stories and legends that have either been proven to be true or false over the years. Besides, you do remember that there's going to be a very special group of VIPs at this thing, right?"

"Indeed. The foremost and most famous group of mystery solvers in the kingdoms will be in attendance. More than that, they'll have donated a few items of interest from their previous cases to the museum as well, so I'm sure you can all understand why we must ensure that nothing happens to either them or the museum itself while we are here," Goodwitch instructed. She of all people knew the kind of damage these girls could do, so she felt she was justified in making it clear that they needed to tone it down a lot in case a fight were to break out.

It was hard to tell whether or not any of her words actually registered for Ruby, because the girl was still bouncing around in place like she knew she was about to get the best present ever the minute they landed. "I just can't wait until we get there," Ruby cheered. "Not to mention the fact that you guys will get to meet some old friends of mine!"

"Ruby, we're not going there to meet some of your classmates from Signal," Weiss immediately pointed out.

"Oh, these guys didn't go to Signal with me. They were our neighbors years ago before they moved away, but now, they're going to be coming back to town for the museum's big opening," Ruby revealed.

That surprised the white and black colored members of Team RWBY, because as far as they knew, Ruby had always been very socially awkward around people, so to hear that they would be meeting up with friends of hers from so long ago was surprising to say the least. Then again, it was not like they really knew that much about Ruby and Yang's lives when they were growing up, so who was to say that their leader was not a little different back when she was little? Before they could ask Ruby for some more details about these friends of hers, the Bullhead finally came down to land at their destination, and the four students and teacher all jumped out to meet with their client.

Said client was actually standing right at the entrance of the museum, a very massive building that was definitely the textbook image of what people would first think of when they pictured such a location, and he smiled right away upon seeing the five. The man in question was a tall, rotund man, dressed in a grey suit that made him look like he was someone from high society like Weiss, and wore half-moon spectacles that rested on his crooked nose. "Ah, Professor Goodwitch, I presume," the man greeted with a smile.

"Yes, and I take it you're the museum curator," Glynda inquired in return.

"That and the proud owner of the Mystery Museum. Doctor Ernie Grey, at your service," the curator confirmed with a smile as he shook hands. He then looked to the four girls with Goodwitch and asked, "And who might these young ladies be?"

"One of Beacon's finest first year teams, Team RWBY," Goodwitch introduced. It was hard for the four to tell if she really meant that or if she was just saying it, but then again, they were not going to complain about receiving such a compliment. "Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladona, and Yang Xiao-Long."

"Ah, a pleasure to meet you all," Doctor Grey nodded.

"Likewise, Doctor," Weiss nodded in return, while the others gave their own variety of greetings, some of which made the Schnee heiress once again wish two of her teammates were a little more well versed in proper etiquette.

"So Doctor, what exactly is your field of study," Blake inquired.

"Well, technically I'm a history buff, but in all honesty, I study all things involved in mythology. Not just the old legends, mind you, but all manner of mysteries and creatures. Why, I've even theorized that some of the fairy tales we've told as children may actually be clues to a much greater truth than we've ever known," the doctor explained.

The girls were all silent upon hearing that, until Yang and Ruby both let out a short laugh as the latter stated, "Come on, Doc. Fairy tales being real? That's just silly."

"Yeah. I mean, imagine if something that the Tale of the Four Maidens was real. That'd be just crazy right," Yang chuckled.

"Yes…Yes, of course it would. There's no real reason to believe otherwise," Goodwitch nervously agreed, her eyes jumping this way and that in a skittish manner that peeked a few people's curiosity.

"Well, it is just a theory, but you have to admit, any mystery is an enticing one. After all, it is only human nature to try and solve a mystery when clues are put before them," Doctor Grey pointed out. "Why, the VIPs for this museum's grand opening can certainly attest to that, given their mystery solving success."

"If you don't mind my asking, Doctor, just who are these VIPs that everyone keeps mentioning," Blake finally asked. Not that you could blame her, as the only thing she knew was that they were supposed to be a group of mystery solvers with a major reputation.

"Why that should be quite obvious, my dear. It's none other than Mystery Incorporated," Doctor Grey revealed.

"Wait a minute. Mystery Incorporated? As in the group of amateur detectives that are otherwise known as the Scooby-Doo Gang," Weiss questioned, not noticing how Ruby soured a little at the word amateur only to brighten up a little more upon hearing the mystery gang's alternate name.

"The very same. I take it you've heard of them," Grey asked.

"Who hasn't? They run across more mysteries by accident than any human or Faunus alive," Blake pointed out.

"Please. They're not that impressive," Weiss scoffed. "They're just a bunch of overly curious teens that get in over their heads while getting involved in things that they should leave to professionals."

"Uh, Ice Queen," Yang muttered as she subtly indicated both themselves and the rest of their teammates.

"It's not the same thing," Weiss tried to protest.

"Hey, Mystery Inc aren't amateurs. They all know full well what they're doing, and they've got all the smarts and skills necessary to trap any ghost, goblin, or ghoul that's causing trouble," Ruby defended in almost an instant. She then turned a little sheepish and said, "I mean, maybe they can't handle a Grimm, but everything else…"

Just before the conversation could go any further, the group heard a car pulling up, and turned to see that pulling up to the curb was none other than the famous, green, blue, and orange-flowered van that Mystery Inc was known for: the Mystery Machine. When the van finally came to a stop, out came none other than the members of Mystery Inc themselves, all smiling with excitement, but none more so than their group's famous Great Dane, Scooby-Doo. "Well, look at that," Doctor Grey muttered. "They're actually early. And here I was thinking that they would end up late, given what I've heard about how their travels normally cause them to get lost while on the way to wherever they're going."

"All right, gang, looks like we made it at last," Fred Jones declared with a smile. "The Valean Museum of Mystery."

"And it looks like we got here early like we were hoping," Daphne Blake noted as she glanced around to see the lack of people that were parked there.

"Naturally. After all, we weren't taking directions from Fred's GPS or Navigator Shaggy," Velma Dinkley pointed out while adjusting her glasses.

"Hey, like that's uncalled for Velma," Shaggy Rogers retorted. He then pulled out a folded up map and added, "Besides, can I help it if I can't read Old Mistralian?"

"Old Mistralian? That's a Valean map," Daphne told her friend.

"Well it's all Old Mistralian to me," Shaggy insisted before tossing the map back into their van.

"Reah. Really Rold. Heheeheeheehee," Scooby agreed with a short laugh.

Upon seeing the group, the folks from Beacon all gave off pretty typical reactions. Goodwitch maintained her professional visage and showed no visible signs of what she was thinking, while Weiss just stared in awe at the group before them. Blake on the other hand had made it a point to hide behind Yang upon seeing the mystery solving group's dog, as usual, while Yang just grinned widely as if she was expecting something funny to happen at any moment. It was Ruby's reaction that actually drew the most attention though, as the red reaper immediately bounded towards the group of five with excitement dancing in her eyes.

"Scooby! Shaggy," Ruby cheered as she waved to the two members that she had called out, making them both turn to face her.

"Like hey! Look it is," Shaggy started to say with a grin, only to stop short when his best pal suddenly took off like lightning.

"RUBY," Scooby cheered as he bounded over to the Huntress-in-training and happily jump-tackled her.

"Oof," was the first thing that came out of Ruby's mouth when the Great Dane landed on her, and the next thing that came out was nothing but laughter when Scooby started happily licking her. "Ah-hahaha! St-stop it! C-come on, Scooby, that tickles," Ruby playfully protested as she scratched the talking dog behind his ears.

"Doggone it, Scoob, I told you on the way in that you couldn't just tackle Ruby like that now. You're not a puppy anymore like you were when we last saw her," Shaggy scolded, but from the smile on his face, it was hard to tell just how serious he was being.

"Roh. Rorry," Scooby apologized.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Scooby. I'm just so glad to see you guys," Ruby reassured her two friends. "Did you miss me? Did you miss me?!"

"Reah, Reah! Ra role rot," Scooby barked in return.

"Like he's not kidding. There were some days after we first left that he was crying at night over the fact that you weren't just down the street anymore," Shaggy revealed.

"Reah," Scooby moaned miserably.

"Aw, that's so sweet, Scooby," Ruby cooed as she gave the big dog a huge hug.

At that point, Weiss and Blake finally snapped out of the trances they had fallen into upon seeing their leader not only talking to members of Mystery Inc so casually, but also being greeted in return in the manner that Scooby had. "Wait a minute, wait a minute," Weiss interrupted. "Are you telling us that the neighbors you mentioned on the way here were Mystery Inc?"

"No, not all of Mystery Inc. Just Scooby and Shaggy," Yang revealed before digging into her pockets and pulling out an old photo. She had a feeling that this would come up, so she made it a point to be prepared. Looking at the picture, Weiss, Blake, and Glynda all saw an image of a very small Ruby Rose happily playing with a much younger Shaggy and a puppy Scooby-Doo, and even as Yang explained it, they were still having a hard time processing it. "The three of them were the best of friends for about as long as any of us could remember, until Shaggy's parents got a new job over in Vacuo. Scooby's actually a big reason why Ruby likes animals so much."

"Yep. Scooby's my second favorite dog," Ruby proudly declared.

"Rey! Recond ravorite," Scooby demanded.

"Sorry, Scoob, but Zwei's always gonna be my first favorite. Owner's prerogative," Ruby pointed out.

"Roh. Rokay rhen," Scooby agreed, no longer having any problem with the label.

As the two old friends continued to talk, Doctor Grey came along to speak with the rest of Mystery Inc. "I'm just glad you all made it, and can I just say that I am so thrilled that you're donating your collection of mystery souvenirs? They'll be a huge hit in the Mystery Solvers exhibit."

"Trust us, the pleasure is all ours," Fred reassured the man as he led the doctor to the Mystery Machine. "We've been meaning to get rid of a few of these old things for ages now."

Upon opening up the back of the van, a large load of those very items came spilling out. Everything from the costumes of the old Scooby villains, to various contraptions that the villains had used to aid in their creepy capers, and even the supplies that were used in the traps that Scooby Gang used to capture those very same villains. Unfortunately for Weiss and Blake, they were standing a little too close to the Mystery Machine at the time, and ended up being accidentally buried underneath all of it, much to the Scooby Gang's embarrassment. "Uh…whoops. I guess we should've warned you about that," Daphne sheepishly apologized.

"Gee, you think," Blake asked as her head popped up out from underneath the Pterodactyl Ghost costume.

After digging herself out, Weiss could not help but take notice of the items that were not monster costumes and had to ask, "I can understand keeping the costumes, but why are you keeping all of this old junk?"

"Hey, those traps aren't junk! They're innovative creations that are perfectly designed for all forms of monster catching," Fred insisted.

"Freddie's a little sensitive about his traps," Velma quickly excused as she helped the two buried girls out from under their collection of old souvenirs.

"Oh no worries. Ruby's kinda the same way when it comes to her scythe," Yang reassured the smart one of the gang.

Upon mentioning Ruby, everyone turned to see that the red reaper was actually playing around with Scooby at the moment, and getting him to do all kinds of tricks that even the Scooby Gang had never seen him do before. When they noticed the box of Scooby Snacks in her hand, it all instantly became clear though, because there was nothing that Scooby would not do for a Scooby Snack. Still, it was surprising how much the two got a long, and Weiss ended up unable to stop herself from asking the big question. "So, if Ruby's such good friends with Scooby and Shaggy, how is it that they never decided to become Huntsmen like her?"

"Like that's easy. Because we're cowards," Shaggy replied with a surprising amount of pride.

"Reah! Rowards," Scooby nodded.

"What're you talking about? You guys are two of the bravest people I've ever met," Ruby protested. "You woulda made great Huntsmen."

"Well to tell you the truth, Rubes, the idea kinda like soured for us after that little prank that Yang pulled on me and Scooby that one Halloween," Shaggy admitted.

"Oh, right. That makes a lot of sense," Ruby nodded with a sheepish and very apologetic expression. "I'm still so sorry for that. I tried to tell her that it was a bad idea to get all those Grimm dolls and costumes, but…"

"Hey, it was all in good fun," Yang insisted. "Besides, Scooby handled it like a champ."

"Really," Ruby, Shaggy, and Scooby all questioned, clearly indicating that they remembered it very differently than the blonde.

"All right, now students. Perhaps you can help Mystery Inc with getting settled in and moving their items into the museum while I have a few words with Doctor Grey," Goodwitch instructed, breaking up the socialization time so that they could get down to business.

"Yes ma'am," Ruby saluted in return. "Come on, Team RWBY, let's get to work!"

With that said, the Beacon professor and museum curator headed off into the museum while Ruby, Scooby, and all the rest of their friends started gathering up stuff that they could take inside. As they were working, Shaggy leaned over to Yang and asked, "So like, how confusing is it with your team and your sister having the same name?"

"Eh, not as much as you'd probably think," Yang shrugged.

* * *

As it turned out, Mystery Incorporated was actually being given their own wing in the Mystery Museum, hence the reason why they were VIPs for the grand opening, so there was no shortage of places for them to set everything up. Of course, it turned out being a little hard to pick and choose just what they would be donating, at least in some cases. "No, we can't give up that trap! It has a very special place in my heart," Freddie insisted.

"That's what you said about the last five. Besides, how good can they really be after they've already been used," Yang questioned.

In other cases, it was a matter of figuring out where the best placement was, and a certain member of Team RWBY was not really helping all that much. "I still say that you shouldn't put this one closer to the window. With the way it lights up, it'd make someone think that there were people inside while the museum is closed," Weiss insisted.

"Well it's still better than your idea. You want to stick it in the middle of the room," Daphne mentioned.

"It's called the Ten-Thousand Volt Ghost. I'd think that would make it one of your more dangerous enemies, so it only makes sense that it would have such a place of honor," Weiss argued.

Meanwhile, Blake and Velma just shook their heads at each of their teammates. "This is getting to be a little silly," Velma muttered.

"Hey, be glad that you don't have to live with your group twenty-four-seven," Blake argued, keeping a wary eye on where Scooby was still playing around with Ruby and Shaggy.

Velma raised an eyebrow at the cat Faunus, and then asked, "Is it normal for all Faunus to fear the natural enemy that their animal traits are derived from?"

"It really depends, to be honest," Blake shrugged, only to pause when she realized what Velma just implied. "Wait, how did you…?"

"Simple deductive reasoning, Miss Belladona," Velma explained. "Your eyes have a subtle glow to them not dissimilar to that of a cat's when they are prowling through the dark, and your aversion to Scooby being two of the more obvious clues. Of course, the most obvious was how your bow moves in response to your mood at a given time, which indicates that you're hiding your animal trait, most likely a set of ears underneath it."

Blake could only stare at the girl that everyone considered to be the smart one of the Scooby Gang, unable to believe that she had figured all of that out in barely more than a few hours, before she finally just said, "You're good."

"Naturally," Velma grinned with pride.

At that point, Weiss let out a small shriek that made everyone worried, and they all rushed over to see what was wrong. When they saw the problem, some of them were left a bit disgusted, while the others just gained deadpan expressions. "Why in the world do you have an old, empty box of dog treats," Weiss questioned.

"Rey! Rhat's rot a rox of rog reats. Rat's a rox of Rooby Racks," Scooby corrected.

"Yeah, and a very important box of Scooby Snacks," Shaggy added. "Like it's the very first box of Scooby Snacks that Scooby went through over the course of all our mysteries."

"And you kept it," Weiss questioned.

"Naturally. Why would you throw out a box of Scooby Snacks," Shaggy asked like it was the silliest thing he ever heard.

Daphne motioned for Weiss to come closer and whispered, "Be glad that's the only box they ever kept. It's also the box of the very first Scooby Snacks, so getting them to part with it at all was especially hard."

The only thing that Weiss found stranger than what she just learned from the redhead was how Ruby was quietly snickering to herself for some strange reason. She shrugged it off in favor of the weird matter right in front of them though. "And why would you be donating this at all?"

"Because it needs to be immortalized forever," Shaggy insisted.

"Reah, reople reed to know rhat Rooby Racks rare rhe reatest racks rever, rand relp rolve rysteries," Scooby declared.

"Right," was all Blake could say before subtly rolling her eyes a little. Weiss on the other hand was not so polite, and made sure that everyone could tell she was not in agreement with that.

"On the bright side, we've just about got everything set up and ready," Fred reassured everyone.

"And without any problems either," Velma agreed.

"Were you expecting there to be a problem," Yang asked.

"No, it's just that usually whenever we go somewhere, this would be the point where some horrible monster or ghost shows up and tries to ruin everything," Fred reasoned.

"Like no way, man. Not this time. The only monsters I want to even hear about are the Grimm, and only if they're in simple stories or new reports," Shaggy insisted, not noticing that something was coming up from behind him.

"Ruh, R-Raggy," Scooby stuttered.

"Not now, Scoob," Shaggy waved off. "Seriously, this time, we're avoiding all manner of creeps and haunting, and therefore, avoiding any chance of you guys making me and Scooby the bait for any traps."

"Uh Shaggy," Ruby nervously tried to say.

"Just minute, Ruby," Shaggy insisted before starting to return to what he was saying, until he realized that both Ruby and Scooby were looking particularly freaked out, along with everyone else. At that point, he could only come to what conclusion. "Like, there's some really creepy monster thing right behind me, isn't there?"

"Ru-huh," Scooby whimpered in reply.

Shaggy slowly turned around and found himself face-to-face with a creature unlike anything that any of the group had seen before. Whatever it was, it looked a lot like a man, but it shared many features that were common amongst the Grimm, namely the inky black skin, bone-like armor and spikes, and the Grimm mask with red markings and glowing, orange eyes. With the whole group now facing it, the creature let out a savage, shrieking roar that caused the entire room to shake, and the reactions that everyone had was instant.

"ZOINKS," Shaggy screamed as he turned and booked it out of there.

"RIKES," Scooby hollered along with his best friend while running for it.

"Jinkies," Velma exclaimed.

"Jeepers," Daphne gasped.

Fred just stood there for a moment before he slumped over and muttered, "Dang it! I still don't have a catchphrase."

"Let's hit this thing with everything we've got," Yang determined as she readied her gauntlets.

"No, wait! We can't use our weapons in here without damaging any of the exhibits," Blake reminded her.

"So then what should we do," Weiss asked.

"Follow Scooby's lead and run for it," Ruby suggested.

Not seeing many other options, the girls and the rest of the Scooby Gang all just shrugged and ran from the creature just as it was taking a swipe at them. Not that it really did any good, considering that this Man-Grimm thing, because it was easily chasing after them not even a second later. Luckily, Ruby had no shortage of ideas, because once they were cleared of the room, she turned to her partner and shouted, "Weiss, block the door!"

Swiping out her sword with an easy flourish, Weiss immediately used the Dust loaded in it to block the entrance with a thick ice wall as requested. She doubted her cold blockade would last long, but she was sure that it would hold for a good long time. Just a second later, the beast actually passed through the ice like it was not even there, and after letting out another roar resumed chasing after them, and with little other options, Weiss and Ruby quickly turned and ran as fast as they could. Since they were still not too eager to risk damaging the museum, Ruby looked to her sister and Blake after running a fair distance, and gave them a quick nod. The two girls both nodded in return, and immediately spun around to fire on the Man-Grimm, taking careful measures to not accidentally hit any part of the building or exhibits as they went.

With all the commotion, it was no surprise that Goodwitch and Doctor Grey eventually came in from wherever they were, with the former looking more than a little miffed while the latter just looked concerned. "What in the name of Oum is going on down here," Goodwitch demanded.

"Like you don't wanna know," Shaggy informed the professor as he and Scooby ran past, surprising Goodwitch a little.

"Some freaky man-like Grimm just showed up out of nowhere and is chasing after us," Weiss informed the professor.

"It can't be," Grey muttered in fear just when Glynda was about to call out the heiress on her claims. At the sound of another loud roar, they both turned and stared with eyes as wide as dinner plates at the sight of the very beast Weiss had just mentioned. "The Grimm King!"

Not wasting any time with questions that could be answered later, Glynda drew her riding crop and waved it at the beast, conjuring up a bit of her powers so that she could blast the beast back down the hall it had come from. "Girls, I suggest that you use whatever means are at your disposal to deal with this creature," Glynda ordered.

To Team RWBY, that meant that they could go all out, and they each quickly drew their respective weapons so that they could open fire on the Grimm King. Under all the blasts of various types of Dust ammo that was hitting it, the monster had instantly cowered in fear before it turned and made a run for it, and it was not until it was long gone that the girls finally stopped shooting. With the creature gone and their ability to speak without needing to shout over the sounds of gunfire now restored, Velma stepped forward and asked, "Just what was that thing?"

* * *

"I was afraid that this may happen," Doctor Grey admitted a short time later when everyone was gathered in his office. "You see, when I purchased the land necessary that I would build my museum upon, I got it cheap because it was said to be the resting place of a terrible creature. The Grimm King."

"Th-th-the Grimm King," Shaggy and Scooby stuttered as they held onto each other.

"Yes," Doctor Grey nodded as he retrieved a book from one of his shelves. "The story goes that there was once a man who found a way to seize control of the Grimm, but in order to do so, he needed to bathe in the pits of darkness that they were spawned from. Sadly, he never realized that doing so would transform him into a creature that was neither human nor Grimm, nor did he realize that doing so would upset the true ruler of all the Creatures of Grimm."

"True ruler? Who's that supposed to be," Weiss asked.

"Legend has it that it was, or perhaps even is a terrible witch with dark magic, who would like nothing more than to see our world burn as it drowns in hopelessness and despair. One who has fought time and again with a great warrior who's lived many lives through many different people," the doctor replied, not noticing that Goodwitch was suddenly getting a little nervous.

"Do you think that could be true? I mean, what if this warrior is someone we all know," Blake reasoned.

"It's not Professor Ozpin! He's just a normal huntsman and headmaster," Goodwitch suddenly insisted in a panic, surprising everyone. When she noticed how everyone was looking at her weirdly, she quickly composed herself and coughed, "I mean, as fascinating as this is…we should really focus on the important matter. This Grimm King you were talking about?"

"Right. Sorry. One mystery at a time," Doctor Grey insisted. "Anyway, as punishment for his crimes, this witch cursed him to forever walk Remnant as the hideous beast he had become, and made it so that he would always need to either slay a powerful Grimm, a virtual army of smaller Grimm, or bathe in those horrid pools of darkness in order to continue living in human form. Naturally, no one could do such a thing, and he became a horrible monster that was far worse than even the most powerful off all Grimm. According to legend, it took a team of huntsmen comprised of hunters and huntresses from all the kingdoms to finally defeat and kill him, but before he died, he managed one last bit of contact with his human side, and swore he would have revenge on all those who dared to cross him. Not just the witch, but the huntsmen that had slain him as well for giving up on him, and if not the actual hunters, then their descendants."

"Like, I'd hate to be those guys," Shaggy remarked.

"Reah, re roo," Scooby agreed.

"Yes…about that," Doctor Grey coughed uncomfortably. "I'm afraid that you and Scooby are two of those descendants, as is a member of Team RWBY."

"Oh, me and my big mouth," Shaggy moaned in sorrow, while Scooby just groaned unhappily.

"And just which one of my students is this descendant," Glynda inquired.

"Isn't it obvious," Doctor Grey inquired as he looked to Team RWBY's leader. "I mean, she has a very glaring clue as to the fact it's her." Ruby just glanced down at the floor while scraping her foot around in a small circle. "Namely the same thing that would make her perfect for dealing with terrible and dangerous Grimm that no one else can handle." Now Ruby was biting her lip out of worry. "A certain fact that has to do with silver eyes?"

"Ahem, season finale. Can't do it yet," Ruby whispered with a small cough.

"Either way, it looks like at least part of that legend is true, because that was the Grimm King's ghost just now," Yang pointed out as she indicated the door behind her from over her shoulder.

"Oh please, that is just ridiculous," Weiss scoffed in disbelief.

"Of course it is, considering that the nonmaterial embodiment, or essence, or organism, that's seen as a specter, wraith, or apparition has been scientifically proven to be a sheer myth," Velma agreed.

"Uh…what," nearly everyone in the room asked. The only ones who did not were Glynda, Doctor Grey, and Weiss.

"In other words, there's no such thing as a ghost," Weiss simplified, having understood it all without any trouble.

"Exactly," Velma nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but does the ghost know that," Shaggy asked.

"RI don't rhink so," Scooby shook his head in the negative.

"Ghost or not, someone definitely doesn't want this museum to open or something," Ruby pointed out. "Why else would it have shown up now, just before the grand opening?"

"Maybe he wanted to complain about the ghoulish service," Yang joked. "Eh? Eh?"

In response to the blonde's pun, Blake face-palmed, Weiss and Glynda rolled their eyes, the latter unnoticeably so, Fred and Daphne just stared, Velma groaned, and Scooby, Shaggy, and Ruby all frowned while giving her several thumbs down. "Rhat ras rerrible," Scooby stated.

"I think that was almost as scary as the monster," Shaggy commented.

"Swing and a miss, Sis," Ruby agreed with both of the other two.

"Everybody's a critic," Yang sighed in false sorrow.

"And the only things my critics will have to say will be bad because my grand opening will become a grand closing," Doctor Grey stated.

"Not while we have anything to say about it," Ruby promised. "Right Professor?"

"Indeed, Miss Rose. We'll see to it that this creature, Grimm King Ghost or not, will not impede your museum's opening tomorrow, Doctor," Goodwitch promised.

"Oh boy. I think I know what's going to come next," Shaggy groaned.

"RI know rit is," Scooby cried.

"Well gang, it looks like we've got another mystery on our hands," Fred declared. "And this time, we've got a few huntresses to help us out."

"Really," Ruby cheered, quickly turning from serious huntress to excited child in less than a second.

"Yep. After all, you all know this city and a good number of its people better than we do. We'd love to have your help in this," Daphne confirmed for her.

"If it will hurry things along in bringing this obvious criminal to justice, I suppose it couldn't hurt," Weiss agreed.

"I'm in," Blake agreed.

"Yes! We get to team up with Mystery Incorporated! This is going to be so awesome," Yang cheered.

"Not to worry, Mystery Inc. Team RWBY has got your backs," Ruby promised.

With that declaration, the girls all exchanged a group high-five, while Mystery Inc did the same amongst their group, with two exceptions. "You know, I'd love to help with this, but like, me and Scooby actually have an important appointment to keep," Shaggy said.

"An appointment? For what," Velma questioned.

"What else? The next flight out of here," Shaggy exclaimed.

"Reah," Scooby agreed, and the two instantly turned to start running for the exit. They only ended up running in place as Fred and Velma grabbed them both by the back of Shaggy's shirt collar, and the back of Scooby's collar.

Mystery Inc was about to break out the Scooby Snacks or some other method of persuasion to keep the two chickens from leaving when Ruby moved to stand before Scooby and said, "But Scooby, do you really want to leave me and my friends to solve this all by ourselves? Or even let that big mean monster hurt me by leaving?"

Now, if it were anyone else asking that, Scooby probably would have exercised his usual level of cowardice and said yes before making a run for it, but given just the fact that this was Ruby Rose asking him, he just could not find the heart to do so. Never mind the fact that she was giving him a sad puppy face, and when Ruby gives you a sad puppy face, you just have to do whatever you can to make her smile again, especially when you are Scooby-Doo. "Rokay, re'll relp," Scooby sighed in defeat.

"What're you doing, Scoob? We can't stay if we're on that ghost's hit list," Shaggy protested.

"Rut Raggy, Ruby reeds us," Scooby pointed out, waving a paw at the sad face that was still on the young Rose's face.

Looking from his best pal to Ruby, Shaggy knew that he was beat, and just groaned, "Like, I hate it when you're right about this stuff."

"YAY," Ruby cheered happily, hugging her two friends in thanks afterwards. Despite the warmth it gave them though, Shaggy and Scooby were still shivering in fear of what was going to come next.

* * *

Investigating the scene where the group first encountered the Grimm King's ghost was the first order of business, obviously, and what they found there was almost next to nothing. The only thing that they did find in there was a strange little cube on the ceiling near where Weiss's ice barrier had been, but she figured it was just a fancy new security camera of some kind. Aside from that, Daphne did stumble upon an odd puddle of goo near one of the janitor closets that Shaggy and Scooby immediately thought was some kind of ghost slime, much to Weiss's annoyance and Velma's skepticism. They did find a potential suspect though: the old man that Team RWBY had seen running the Dust Till Dawn Dust shop and several noodle stands. Surprisingly, he was hired as a janitor for the museum until its opening, and he was not happy about the fact, since he came there hoping to be hired as a caterer for the grand opening. Given how bitter he was about the way that the curator had said that noodles were not a food he would want to serve at his grand opening, it was no wonder that he was now on Mystery Inc's list of potential suspects.

They soon found another suspect after leaving the museum to better investigate the area around it, and in the form of three familiar students who were visiting from Haven Academy. "Oh hey! It's Cinder and her friends," Ruby smiled as she rushed over to say hi. "Hey you guys,"

"WE'RE NOT EVIL," Cinder quickly exclaimed out of surprise as she tried to hide a chart of some kind from view.

"What," Ruby asked.

"I mean…H-hello, Ruby. What're you doing here," Cinder politely asked while trying to hide the otherwise devious look in her eyes.

"My team's on an important mission to figure out who wants to close the Museum of Mystery," Ruby explained as the rest of her team came over.

"What brings all of you out to the city," Yang asked.

"Nothing really. Just taking in the sights for the most part," Emerald casually shrugged. She then leaned in close so that she could whisper, "We're mainly doing it together because we can't really trust Mercury to behave himself and not do something weird while we're out."

"That makes sense. We've actually been doing the same thing with Blake. The difference being to make sure that she doesn't run away at the smell of fish," Weiss said in a rare moment of teasing, earning her a small shove from the cat Faunus.

Cinder then looked to who else was with the huntresses-in-training, and quickly became more nervous as she almost immediately recognized them. Still, she did her best to play it cool, and asked, "And…who're your friends?"

"Oh, this is Mystery Inc. You've heard of them, right," Blake asked.

"Only by reputation," Cinder admitted.

"Was there any specific place you were looking for out here? Scoob and I actually used to be Ruby's neighbors, so we visited Vale a lot with all of our parents," Shaggy revealed.

"Well…not really. Nothing for anything evil, of course," Cinder replied with a near stutter. She then caught sight of Scooby sniffing at the chart she was attempting to hide. "Um, th-that's…That's just our map! Of the city. Which we need, because we've never been to Vale before now. Never at all."

"Hey, Scoob, you really shouldn't be sniffing at people like that," Ruby lightly scolded.

"Rorry," Scooby apologized as he backed off.

"Well, nice running into you, but we've gotta get going," Cinder said before she and Emerald made a run for it, just as Mercury was coming back over.

"Hey guys, I've got that canon you said we'd need for the big evil plan…" Mercury started to announce, only to trail off at the end when he noticed that his teammates were gone and only Team RWBY and the Scooby Gang were left. "Uh…I mean…the confetti canon for the party that we were going to throw…for when we win…the Vytal Festival Tournament. Yeah, that's what I meant! Bye!"

Just like that, Mercury was also gone, and the others could only stare in the direction that the three had departed in, before Velma finally hummed in thought and muttered, "There's something awfully suspicious about those three."

"Like what," Blake asked.

"Yeah, they seem pretty normal to me," Ruby shrugged.

"They are students from another school, so it would make sense that they would be a little odd compared to people around here," Weiss pointed out.

"Trust us; they're cool," Yang reassured them.

Mystery Inc was not so sure, but they decided to take the girls' word for it and moved on. Not that they were really able to scrounge up too much about the whole thing, but they did find a few interesting things at the bank regarding Doctor Grey's more recent purchases. Some of them could have been written off as money that was spent for the sake of the museum, but there were other things that did not make any sense at all. What was even weirder was that they did not ever seem to run into the monster again. At least not until they had returned to the museum in an effort to see if there were any other exhibits that had been attacked.

Velma had figured that they should go back to the museum to ask if Doctor Grey had any other information on their ghostly quarry, but Scooby and Shaggy were not too eager to go back inside, and they were making it very clear to everyone. "No way am I going back in there when there's a chance we could run into that ghastly ghoul of Grimm-man. Like, I don't know if you've forgotten, but me and Scoob are two of the guys that thing wants gone," Shaggy reminded everyone.

"Reah. RI'm rot roing reither," Scooby insisted.

While some of Team RWBY thought it would be a good idea to have someone outside to guard the entrance, just in case, Mystery Inc knew better than to leave Shaggy and Scooby on that kind of guard duty, and felt that it would be better to bring the two chickens inside with them. So, they quickly broke out their tried and true method of getting Shaggy and Scooby, or at the very least Scooby to agree to go along with them. "Would you do it for a Scooby Snack," Velma asked.

"No way," Shaggy denied.

"Ro ray," Scooby agreed with his friend.

"How about two Scooby Snacks," Velma offered.

"Uh-uh," Shaggy once again refused.

"Ru-uh," Scooby added. "Re ran't be rought rhis rime."

"Yeah, you can offer us a whole box of Scooby Snacks, but we're not going in there to possibly be Grimm King Ghost bait, and that is final," Shaggy informed them.

"Well then, how about a whole box of Vale-exclusive Scooby Snacks," Daphne asked.

"With Milk," Fred added.

That seemed like the thing that would break the two for a minute until they found their resolve again and just turned away with their noses up and their arms crossed. "Wow, I really thought that would be the thing that got them. It usually works at this point," Daphne admitted.

"If they don't want to go in, we should just leave them here. They'll come racing in after realizing that they're out here all alone, right," Blake asked.

"Somehow, I highly doubt it. Unless the Grimm King were to appear here just a minute after we had all left," Velma replied.

"Well what're the chances of that happening," Weiss questioned.

"If you knew these two, you'd be surprised," Daphne informed the heiress.

Just then, Ruby stepped forward and pulled something out from behind her back as she sang, "Oh Scooby~. Look I've got for you."

Scooby took a small sniff of the air, and then opened one eye to see what it was that Ruby had. When he did, he fully turned to Ruby and asked, "Ri-ris rhat…?"

"Yep. I made them special as soon as I heard that you were gonna be visiting," Ruby revealed, shaking the plastic container of what looked like more Scooby Snacks, but there was something of a more homemade look to them.

Upon hearing that, Scooby instantly grew excited as he clapped and cheered, "Roh roy! Roh roy! Ruby's Rooby Racks!"

"Ah-ah-ah," Ruby quickly denied, pulling back the container just as Scooby was reaching for it. "Will you be brave if I give you one?"

"Reah! Reah," Scooby promised without a second thought.

"And fearless?"

"Ru-huh, ru-huh!"

"And go into the museum with the rest of us?" That made Scooby pause for a second, until Ruby added, "So that you can keep me safe while I keep you safe?"

Scooby was still thinking that over until he asked, "Rwo racks?"

"Okay, two snacks it is, but that's the final offer," Ruby conceded, getting a nod from the dog in return. She then pulled out the snacks in question and tossed them up so that Scooby could catch them in his mouth, which he did, despite an attempt at interference from Shaggy.

"What…what just happened," Freddie asked, not really sure how Ruby got Scooby to agree with some homemade Scooby Snacks.

"Yeah, I'd have thought that Scooby would've gone for a special version of Scooby Snacks like what we offered," Daphne agreed.

"You didn't go special enough, because nothing beats the Scooby Snacks made by the original creator of said treats," Yang revealed, surprising everyone.

"Are you telling us that Ruby's the one who created Scooby Snacks," Blake asked in surprise.

"Yep," Yang confirmed, popping the "p" at the end. She glanced over at the three friends before whispering, "She was actually trying to make some of our mom's cookies for Scooby one day, but ended up getting the recipe wrong. Turns out that Scooby actually loved them, and Ruby had been making them for him ever since, or at least until Scooby and Shaggy moved away. When Ruby found out that Zwei and other dogs loved the snacks just as much, she convinced our dad and Uncle Qrow to help her sell the recipe to a big company, but only on the grounds that they call them Scooby Snacks in honor of the friend that she first made them for."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Daphne cooed with a smile.

"A little odd, but I'll admit, that is actually very nice," Weiss confessed, even though on the inside she was just as touched as Daphne.

With that little matter settled, the group quickly headed back into the museum to find Doctor Grey, but when Fred knocked at the door to the curator's office after they had arrived, the door opened to reveal none other than the Grimm King himself, much to the gang's horror. "I guess the doctor isn't in right now," Shaggy nervously chuckled. "RUN!"

Both mystery solvers and huntresses-in-training were making a mad dash away from the Grimm King as fast as they could, while the ghostly monster in question roared and chased after them. Eventually, they had all split up into several smaller groups, with the monster making it a point to chase after Scooby, Shaggy, and Ruby. It almost seemed like it was being set up for a trap, with those three as the bait, but if that were the case, it would have to have been a trap that was heavily improvised and made right there on the spot. Still, it did not keep Shaggy and Scooby from screaming their heads off as they ran, and they could be heard even over the noise of Ruby firing pot shots at the Grimm King using her sniper rifle.

Eventually the three ducked into another room and slammed the door shut behind them. The Grimm King did not let a closed door stop him though, and instantly bashed the door in, but before it could even set foot in the room, Ruby shouted, "WAIT!" Surprisingly, the monster did stop, and then took the time to look around the room. On the far ends of the room, Shaggy and Scooby could be seen huddled on top of a couple of tables, while in the middle of it, Ruby stood upon a chair with her hand out as a silent command for the ghost to stay where it was. "The floor is lava," Ruby declared.

"Huh," the monster grunted in confusion, wondering if the girl was seriously playing this game with him right now.

"Like you heard Ruby, Grimm King! The floor is lava," Shaggy insisted. "Trust us; you do not want to question her about it."

"Reah. Rit'll rend radly for you," Scooby added.

"Grimm King, I know we have our differences, but please hear me out. The moment you step through that door, you'll be burned alive," Ruby dramatically declared.

The Grimm King was not going to listen what it believed to be part of a childish game, and just started to enter the room like anyone else would have, only to flinch back when its foot was actually burned when it touched the floor in the room. "RAGH," the Grimm King cried out in pain before jumping back.

"I tried to warn you," Ruby shrugged in return. "The only way to cross now is if you learn the ways of Parkour, balance, and…" Before Ruby could finish, the Grimm King leapt up and clung to the ceiling with its claws, snarling at the three as it went. "I mean, well…that's just cheating," Ruby grumbled before drawing Crescent Rose in sniper mode and taking careful aim. "But then again, this could be considered as such too."

One shot from Ruby's sniper, and the Grimm King dropped from ceiling and back down to the floor, where it let out a yell of pain as it scrambled to reach the nearest raised surface, which was actually a nearby display case that it could barely keep itself on top of since it was so small. Seeing this made Scooby and Ruby snicker at the monster a little, until it leveled them both with a glare that caused them both to go quiet again. "Don't worry. We'll guide you out as best as we can," Ruby insisted. "Just make sure you don't step on the floor or that display table over there."

The monster looked to the table that Ruby mentioned, and quickly nodded in return, following her instructions as it moved across the room. The Grimm King quickly noticed that it was not getting any closer to the three, much to its annoyance, and eventually realized that the only way to do so was to jump onto the display table that Ruby mentioned. Not wanting to waste anymore time, the Grimm King ended up deciding to chance it and get on and off the table as quick as it could, and made the jump. When it landed though, it was surprised that it was not harmed at all, and that surprise caused it to slip off and onto the floor, where it was further surprised by the fact that it was normal again.

Seeing this new development worried Ruby a little, and she quickly turned to look at Shaggy and whispered, "Any time now."

"Like, it's not working," Shaggy whispered back as he fiddled with a remote control.

The Grimm King noticed this and immediately stomped over to swipe the control from Shaggy. Reading the label, the Grimm King saw that it was a floor temperature control system, and it immediately roared in anger for the three making a fool of it. "YIKES/RIKES," Shaggy and Scooby respectively hollered, getting ready to run again.

"WAIT," Ruby shouted again, making everyone freeze, though the Grimm King did so with a glare. Ruby then pulled out her Scroll and said, "What? A chase scene needs good music, and I've wanted Scooby to hear this song I found online once for a while now." After tapping a few commands on her Scroll, Ruby found the song she was looking for, and instantly hit play before quickly saying, "Okay, now we can run."

The second Ruby had started the song and spoken, she grabbed hold of both Scooby and Shaggy, and used her semblance to get them all out of the room in a flurry of red rose petals, much to the Grimm King's roaring rage. His attempts at chasing after the three though only served to help him cross paths with Yang and Daphne.

_Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you? We've got some work to do now._

"Oh, hello there," Yang waved in greeting before grabbing Daphne and using her gauntlets to blast them both away just as the Grimm King was about to slash them. At first it seemed like it missed both girls, but a second glance would allow one to see a few blonde hairs floating down to the floor, much to Yang's…displeasure. One angry roar and a burst of fire later, and the Grimm King was sent flying away from the girls, courtesy of Yang's semblance. "Don't mess with a girl's hair, you jerk!"

"Yeah, you tell 'im, sister," Daphne agreed with a smirk and a flourish of her own red locks. That prompted the two girls to exchange a low-five with each other before they decided to make a run for it before the Grimm King could get up again.

_Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you? We need some help from you now._

When the Grimm King did rise again, he shook his head a little before settling his dazed eyes on Velma and Weiss, the latter of which was currently holding down the beast with one of her glyphs. Velma then handed a mixture of Dust that Weiss had allowed her to make, and while the Grimm King just looked at it in confusion, the two girls raced away and slammed the door shut behind them while covering their ears so that they could block out the sound of the explosion that followed after their exit.

_Come on Scooby-Doo, I see you. Pretending you got a sliver._

Looking back in the room again allowed the two to see the Grimm King in an ashened state, prompting an impressed smile from Weiss. "Nice work," the heiress told Velma.

"If you think that was good, you should've seen some of the stuff I came up with before I finished elementary," Velma replied. She then looked back to see the monster shaking off the dust from the explosion and said, "Jinkies. We should run now."

"A very apt suggestion, Miss Dinkley," Weiss agreed before using another glyph to speed up their movements and help them get away faster.

_But you're not fooling me, 'cause I can see, the way you shake and shiver._

The monster tried to chase after Velma and Weiss, but soon tripped over an unseen wire being held by Fred and Blake. Turning to the two, the Grimm King growled deviously at them before lunging forward to slash, only to miss them both thanks to Blake's semblance.

_You know we've got a mystery to solve, so Scooby-Doo be ready for your act. Don't hold back!_

Blake kept using her shadow clone ability to evade the Grimm King's swipes, much to its growing frustration until it finally ended up overreaching and slamming its head into a wall. When the monster dazed for the moment, Blake looked to Fred and asked, "You just happened to have some trip wire in your pocket, because?"

"What? Lots of people carry wires in their pockets. Besides, a lot of the best traps use trip-wires," Fred reasoned.

Blake was not sure how to argue with that, and did not even get the chance to as she saw the Grimm King starting to get up again. "Hope you've got such a trap in mind, because he's not going to stay down for too long."

Freddie was silent for only a second before he smirked and said, "Actually, yeah. I do have a plan. Come on, let's find the others and hope Scooby, Shaggy, and Ruby will be able to lure it into the trap without us asking."

"You really do use those two as bait a lot, don't you?"

"At this point it's just normal. Besides, those two do run faster than any of the rest of us."

_And Scooby-Doo, if you come through, you're gonna have yourself a Scooby Snack! That's a fact!_

"I think we lost him guys," Shaggy said as he and the other two came into the room not even three seconds after Blake and Fred had left.

"RI rope so," Scooby panted.

"Aw don't worry. There's no way that loser is gonna find us after the way we ditched him," Ruby reassured them, only to turn around and see the monster right in her face. "Shaggy, what's that word you always say again?"

"Zoinks," Shaggy supplied.

"Thanks," Ruby nodded. "ZOINKS!"

_Scooby-Dooby-Doo, here are you. You're ready and you're willing._

Ruby was then at the head of the group as she led the race to escape from the Grimm King chasing them, not knowing that they were heading right to the location where Fred and the other girls were setting up the perfect trap to capture the monster.

_If we can count on you, Scooby-Doo, I know you'll catch that villain._

Once the three had run past him, Fred saw the monster coming and began pushing on the large barrel he had retrieved and shouted, "Blake, now!"

Upon pushing the barrel down the ramp, Fred just had to sit back and watch as the Grimm King ended up with the cylindrical container under its feet, and was soon stumbling to keep from falling off. Not that he had too much success, given that Blake shot Gambol Shroud over to the other wall so that she could use its ribbon to get the beast to spin off of the barrel and into the next wall where Weiss was already waiting to hold it down with one of her glyphs. With Weiss pinning the Grimm King in place, Daphne, Velma, and Yang all took the chance to fire the net guns that Fred had retrieved from the Mystery Inc wing of the museum, and just like that, the Grimm King was all wrapped up in the trap.

"Nice work, gang," Fred praised as he came over, while Shaggy, Ruby, and Scooby just panted in exhaustion from all the running that they just did. "We've caught our monster."

"Yeah…Hurray," Ruby panted. She then looked to her two childhood friends and asked, "Is it always like this for you guys?"

"Somehow, yeah, pretty much. Like we can't run into any monsters without me and Scooby being the bait for them at some point," Shaggy groaned.

"Reah. Rhy's rit ralways rus," Scooby grumbled, earning him a sympathy pat on the head from Ruby. Of course, she also offered another one of her homemade Scooby Snacks to help make it better too, and that did get Scooby's spirits up a little bit.

* * *

A short time later, the gang had gathered outside the museum with Team RWBY and Professor Goodwitch, with the Grimm King still tied up in the collective nets, and they were all ready for the moment of truth. "Now to find out who really wanted the Museum of Mystery shut down," Fred determined as he grasped the Grimm King's head and pulled it off, revealing the face of…

"PROFESSOR OZPIN," everyone exclaimed in shock.

"Now just a moment," Glynda dismissed, knowing her boss was back at Beacon this very moment, and she immediately pulled off this mask to reveal…

"RAVEN BRANWEN," everyone exclaimed in shock.

"Hold on," Yang waved, believing that there was no way this could have been her mother. Her hunch proved right, as she pulled off the face of her mother, revealing that it was yet another mask, and that underneath was none other than…

"JACQUES SCHNEE," everyone in shock.

"Just a minute! How would that even be possible when my father's all the way in Atlas," Weiss pointed out. Once again, this too, turned out to be a mask, and she pulled it off to reveal…

"ROMAN TORCHWICK," everyone exclaimed in…oh, you get the idea.

"Okay, as great a nemesis as he is, we all know for a fact that Torchwick's still locked up on General Ironwood's ship right now," Ruby pointed out, pulling off this mask as well, and revealing the face of…

"Like do we even need to act surprised or guess that this is also a mask? We all know that it isn't actually Summer Rose," Shaggy stated before anyone could gasp in shock at the face of Ruby's mother.

"Agreed, and before we bother with anymore masks, I can confidently confirm that the man behind the Grimm King's ghost is none other than," Velma began to say as she reached for this most recent mask and pulled it off to reveal the true perpetrator. "Doctor Ernie Grey."

"WHAT," nearly everyone other than Glynda exclaimed, the latter of which maintaining a calm, professional demeanor save for a widening of the eyes.

"But how? I mean, he was with Professor Goodwitch when the Grimm King first attacked us," Blake pointed out.

"It's the same reason why the Grimm King was able to pass through Weiss's ice. Because it was just a holographic image," Daphne explained as she held up the square object that they had found earlier. "What we first thought were security cameras were actually holographic projectors meant to create a three-dimensional image."

"The latest in Atlesian imaging technology at that," Velma cottoned on.

"But how did he stick to the ceiling when he had us cornered," Ruby asked, gesturing between herself, Scooby, and Shaggy.

"Easy," Velma replied as she pealed back more of the monster skin to reveal a mechanical suit underneath. "This suit is designed using technology similar to that which is used in Atlesian mechs and battle suits, and with a few modifications, it would allow Doctor Grey to have the strength necessary to survive a battle with a huntsman, if necessary, and perform various feats that he felt he needed to perform in order to better sell his monster story."

"But why did he even do it," Yang asked.

"Because this museum was going to make a mockery of what it was supposed to be educating others on," the doctor answered angrily. "I wanted the exhibits to display the true elegance and air of suspense that all mysteries in history have, but the people up above me decided that we should make everything seem like it was just something out of stupid kids' show and nothing more."

"That's why he was making all those purchases and transfers at the bank," Daphne continued. "He wanted to make sure he had enough money saved up in various different fake companies so that when his little Grimm King scheme caused the museum to close down, he could easily purchase it and remodel everything the way he wanted."

"So then why request us to act as security for the event if he was going to go to all this trouble of shutting it down," Weiss asked.

"The word of average civilians is one thing, but if a team of huntsmen, or in this case huntresses were to see the Grimm King for themselves, his story would have more ground to stand on," Fred explained.

"Like yeah. Anyone could make the mistake of thinking something was a Grimm when it actually wasn't, so what better experts to confirm that there was a monster Grimm like that than the world's biggest experts on the subject," Shaggy reasoned with Scooby nodding along.

"And I would've gotten away with it too," Doctor Grey snarled. "If it weren't for you meddling kids, those crazy huntresses, and that dumb dog!"

"And don't you forget it," Ruby grinned proudly along with the rest of her team and the Scooby gang.

"Reah," Scooby agreed before high-fiving Ruby with one of his front paws, much to everyone's amusement.

* * *

The following night, the Museum of Mystery's grand opening went off without a hitch, and nearly everyone in Vale was in attendance. Team RWBY and Professors Goodwitch and Ozpin were even invited along as guests of honor for their commendable service in assisting Mystery Inc to capture the Grimm King so that the opening could take place, and they were all dressed to impress. Of course, despite the honor bestowed upon them, Ruby was still complaining quite a bit about having to wear heels again, but given her trouble in walking in said shoes, you could not blame her.

"I don't really understand why Doctor Grey would find any of this childish," Weiss eventually commented at one point during the party as she looked around, studying the various displays in the wing they were all gathered in at one point. "This all seems pretty standard for a typical museum."

"And they are," the temporary curator and museum board representative informed the Schnee heiress and her group. The man in question being an average sized man with brown hair and rather bright eyes behind black-rimmed glasses, and was dressed to the nines in a dark blue suit with a white dress shirt and a dark red tie. "But compared to what Doctor Grey had in mind, this would probably seem very watered down."

"How so," Blake questioned.

"He wanted to showcase every detail that went into all these mysteries, and some of them were rather…gruesome to say the least. As in the type of thing that should not be shown in a public place, and would be more likely to scare away visitors to the museum than they would attract them," the man explained, and given how he had shivered a little at the thought, the huntresses figured that he was still putting it very mildly for their sake, so they decided to not ask him to elaborate further.

"I'm just glad that the museum board was able to find you in time for the opening, sir," Ozpin commented as he joined the conversation.

"Oh please, Ozpin, no need for formalities. Just call me Dave," the temp curator insisted with a smile.

Meanwhile at the same time, Yang was having another talk with Mystery Inc, all of whom were dressed to impress like the rest of the guests. Of course, the only member of the gang that was currently missing at that time was their famous dog, but Yang did not really care about that at the time. "I still can't believe we really got to solve a mystery with you guys. It was so awesome," Yang almost cheered.

"Oh trust us, Yang, the pleasure of having a team of huntresses like you and your friends around was all ours," Fred reassured the blonde.

"It's almost sad that we're going to have to leave tomorrow morning," Daphne admitted.

"Yeah, but there's always another mystery to find somewhere along the road," Velma reminded her.

"Man, I wish you wouldn't remind me of that," Shaggy moaned.

"Well, you know, you guys could always stay here. I mean, being on the road all the time must get pretty boring, and I'm sure that if anyone really needed you guys, they could easily call you if they had a set location or number to reach you at. Hey, maybe you could even set up a cool headquarters somewhere in Vale, or even over on Patch," Yang offered. She then paused for a brief moment before she finally admitted the real reason for trying to get the gang to stay. "Plus, I know that Ruby would really miss having Scoob and Shag around, and would hate to see them leave so soon after being away for so long."

"It is a tempting offer, Yang, but I don't think we're ready to put down roots anywhere just yet," Fred declined with an apologetic smile. "We may be famous, but there are still people out there who don't have a high opinion of us, so why not stay on the road until we can show just how serious we take mystery solving to everyone?"

"Besides, a mystery is our mistress, and we must heed her sweet call," Velma added.

"But you never know; we may end up running into you guys again someday. Maybe while you guys are on another job, or even because we needed the extra help or decided to come back again," Daphne reassured the blonde. "Plus, I would love to have a little girl-to-girl talk with you about hair care and stylists, because yours is great."

"Right back at ya, red," Yang grinned in return.

"Like, hey, where are Ruby and Scooby anyway," Shaggy asked.

His answer came soon enough when the mentioned pair suddenly appeared before the whole group with large grins on both their faces. "Hey guys! Check this out," Ruby told everyone. "Scooby still remembers some of the old tricks I taught him before he left, and I want you guys to see them in person."

"This oughta be good," Yang grinned while everyone in their two groups gathered around.

"All right! Ready Scoob," Ruby asked.

"Ready Ruby," Scooby saluted in return.

"Okay! Play…Beowolf," Ruby commanded.

At once, Scooby stood up on his hind legs, and started not only posing like the mentioned Grimm, but also doing a very accurate, yet still silly impression of the mentioned monster. He went back and forth before everyone, growling in the same way as the werewolf-like Grimm, and even swung his front paws around like a Beowolf did its claws, much to everyone's amusement. If the others thought that was the only thing though, Ruby quickly proved them wrong.

"Now, play Ursa!"

Hearing that command, Scooby quickly stood up a little straighter while trying to make himself look a little more buff than he actually was and began roaring similar to the bear-like Grimm, while repeating his earlier actions, only this time making sure that it was in tune with the style of an Ursa. Seeing this made everyone go from barely suppressed laughter to full-blown chuckles, including the more subdued members of the two groups. Even Glynda Goodwitch could not help but smile a little at the humorous sight of this dog pretending to be a ferocious Grimm, and doing an impressive job of giving an accurate impression at that.

"He's crazy," Blake giggled after a few minutes. She may not have really warmed up to Scooby just yet, or really any dog in general, but she would admit that Scoob was starting to grow on her a little more now.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything, yet," Ruby promised. She then turned back to Scooby and said, "Now…NEVERMORE!"

Breaking character, Scooby dashed away so that he could get a running start, and then leapt into the air, flapping his arms like wings to stay aloft as he cawed just like the bird Grimm Ruby had named. Seeing his impression was one thing, but watching him actually stay up in the air like he was definitely impressed everyone quite a bit, seeing as they were not really sure how he was staying up without any extra assistance. "That…That shouldn't even be possible," Weiss eventually protested. "He can't possibly have any of way of flying around like that!"

"Ri ran't," Scooby asked while still in midair. "Ruh-oh."

Just like that, Scooby dropped from the air like a lead, making everyone flinch a little when he hit the floor. Thankfully, the dog was not hurt, but he was a bit miffed over the fact that his little show was messed up in the way that it was if his grumbling was any indication. "How do you like that," Shaggy commented. "The fun's put on ice by an ice queen."

"Hey," Weiss snapped on instinct.

"Well to be fair, it was stopped Weiss cold," Yang punned in return, and this time, the others all laughed, but Yang had a feeling that it was more out of pity, or due to the pout Weiss gave in response to the joke.

Scooby also giggled for a minute before he shared a look with Ruby, and he was soon receiving an affectionate rub on the head for the next thing he said, "Scooby-Dooby-Doo! And Ruby too!"

* * *

_**AN: Well, there you have it. A simple short story that is one and done, and featured a good number of gags and memorable moments from both series as well.**_

_**Ruby: But why have Scooby and the gang as our first special guests anyway?**_

_**AN: Weren't you paying attention earlier? I said that it was because they helped give me the inspiration for this series. That old cartoon that I mentioned I was watching, was actually the series entitled "The New Scooby-Doo Movies", a series in which the Scooby Gang met various guest stars in each new episode. Anyone from Don Knotts, to Batman and Robin (The Adam West version to be specific), the Speed Buggy, the Three Stooges, and all sorts of other famous folks from back in the day. Seeing all that and thinking of all the various ideas I was having for RWBY stories at the time and the trouble I was having in trying to pick one to run with gave me the idea of doing this story, and now...here's the result.**_

_**Weiss: I must admit, this was rather impressive, but I can't help but notice that it did not seem quite as serious as our regular series.**_

_**AN: Well, someone who had heard about my troubles in deciding on how to proceed with a story like this recommended that I try and mix in a little bit of the silliness from RWBY Chibi when I did a RWBY story, and while I was thinking of doing such a thing to keep things from getting too serious, at least as much as I could, it definitely helped to reassure that doing so would be a big help here. Plus, what kind of Scooby-Doo adventure would this be if it was all completely serious.**_

_**Yang: I kinda liked how Ruby was childhood friends with Scooby and Shaggy, and how you made it so that Ruby was the original creator of Scooby Snacks.**_

_**AN: Well, the idea just seemed to click so well that I just had to run with it. Plus, you have to admit, little Ruby with puppy Scooby-Doo is a pretty cute image to think about.**_

_**Ruby: He's not wrong.**_

_**Blake: Just promise that our next team-up won't have any dogs in it. [nervously glances around for any sign of said animals, namely Zwei and Scooby]**_

_**AN: I can make no such guarantees.**_

_**Yang: Oh! What about that whole moment when you had the classic Scooby-Doo theme song going?**_

_**AN: Yeah, that was my first attempt at putting the lyrics for my imagined background music into the story, so let me know how well I did with that, please? Along with telling me how good or bad my first attmept at a RWBY fanfiction went, or at least the first chapter.**_

_**One more thing, I'm not taking any requests for team-ups at this time. I've got more than enough ideas on who Team RWBY and their buddies can meet at the moment, so I must politely ask that you all please wait a little bit before you begin asking me for people to have them team-up with. Thank you.**_

_**Now, normally, this would be the part where I'd say that we move onto the preview or something, but in this case, I can't do that, because I have no idea what little adventure is going to come next in this story. It could be one featuring the characters you can probably see in the cover art, or it could be someone else entirely, like a certain web-swinger and his pals, or a dark knight from another comic book company. Hey, it could even be the last thing you would ever expect to see. Only time will tell who, what, and where Team RWBY and their friends will end up dealing with in the next short-story/chapter, so until then...**_

_**Please read and review, and I'll see in the next colorful adventure!**_

_**Weiss: Really? "The next colorful adventure?"**_

_**AN: Shush! It was the best that I could think of right on the spot!**_


	2. The Keyblades Unleashed Series Heroes

**_AN: Okay, so it took a little bit longer than I thought to do another update for this story, but the next one's finally here, and it turned out to be one that I was not expecting to do for this until much later on._**

**_Weiss: And why would that be?_**

**_AN: Because today's Meeting is actually a sneak peek at the future of one of my other story series: the Keyblades Unleashed Series to be exact._**

**_Blake: Aren't you already doing a RWBY and Kingdom Hearts crossover though?_**

**_AN: Yes, but this is something I had planned for the future of the Keyblades Unleashed Series for a little while now. For those of you who don't know, the Keyblades Unleashed Series, it a Kingdom Hearts AU Series that explores my interpretation of how the Kingdom Hearts story would have played out if certain factors had been different. The series itself begins with Keyblades of Future Past (I know, not the most original name), leads into Kingdom Hearts: Dual Keys, and is currently on Kingdom Hearts: Keyblade Legion. The remaining titles and their summaries, as well as the ones for the stories I just named, are all on my profile page if your interested or just need a quick overview of what happened in each story._**

**_Ruby: What about that crossover that Blake mentioned._**

**_AN: Ah yes, the newest of my crossovers, Remnant of the Key. If you like stories that take place Post-KH3, be it with a twist or two, or otherwise, then I would like to say that is a story you would enjoy reading. It certainly seems like a lot of people have so far based on the reviews I've gotten for that story._**

**_Speaking of reviews, glad to see so many of you enjoyed the first Meeting from last chapter, and while I appreciate that you all want to offer ideas for future Meetings, let me just remind you that I've already got several ideas that I want to do first before I start taking requests for this, assuming I can do any of them._**

**_Now then, as I said a moment ago, today's Meeting takes place in the future of the Keyblades Unleashed Series, namely during the story entitled, Kingdom Hearts: Beyond the Worlds._**

**_Yang: And as such, we've prepared a special edition of the parody theme song you have lined up for that story!_**

**_AN: Yep...wait, what?_**

**_Yang: [holds up disc with a label that says, "Kingdom Hearts Beyond the Worlds Theme: RWBY Meetings Edition"] We couldn't resist, and I'm sure people are curious about what you have in mind for at least a few of those other stories._**

**_Ruby: Come on! Let us play it for everyone before we start today! Please! Please! Please! [starts giving author her cute puppy face]_**

**_AN: [tries to avoid succumbing to Ruby's cuteness before finally turning to her teammates] She's not going to stop until I agree, is she?_**

**_WBY: Nope._**

**_AN: [sighs] Okay._**

**_Ruby: YAY! [quickly grabs disc from Yang and slots it into the player before turning an expectant look to the author]_**

**_AN: What? [sees Ruby continue to give him the same look until he finally catches on] Oh, right. Uh...play that funky theme music, Ruby!_**

**_Ruby: ...Eh, it'll work. [hits play]_**

* * *

**[cue opening theme for Power Rangers Dino Charge/Super Dino Charge extended version]**

**[0:00-0:07] Sees gummi ship flying off through unknown parts of interspace before pausing before very strange worlds unlike any seen before in KH, and then flashes through headshots of Sora and the other Keyblade masters.**

**[0:08-0:11] Split screen of each of the three trios assuming various fighting stances, or just fighting, until it stops with a headshot of Master Xehanort outside the Palace of Nightmares**

**"Kingdom Hearts, Keyblade Masters. Kingdom Hearts, Keyblade Masters"**

**[0:12-0:33] Shows each Keyblades Unleashed character being introduced with scenes of them fighting in the background/off to the side, until it ends on the team being seen armoring up as lyrics play**

**"Across worlds filled with strife, we are fighting to ensure they survive!"**

**"Fighting back against the force of darkness's might!"**

**"Now there's only one chance, to save all family and friends."**

**"And keep the power of the light shinning bright!"**

**[0:34-43] Shows the various trios [Destiny, Wayfinder, and Twilight] Racing out of the gummi ship on Keyblade Gliders before showcasing them each fighting various enemies Heartless or otherwise.**

**"Go go Keyblade Masters!"**

**"We will never stop."**

**"Go go Keyblade Masters!"**

**"It's time to rise up to the top!"**

**[0:44-0:48] Shows the full team charging into battle before cycling through each trio and ending on Sora standing at the lead of the full group in a manner similar to when he stood at the forefront of all his friends when he confronted Xemnas and Xigbar in Dream Drop Distance.**

**"Masters forever! Go Beyond the Worlds, all together!"**

**[0:49-0:58] Goes through each of the Keybearers again, along with a few clips of Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and Namine (The last two summoning their Keyblades like they're about to join the fight), before the camera zooms in on Remnant to show Ruby standing in a field with her cloak flapping in the wind.**

**"Kingdom Hearts, Keyblade Masters. Kingdom Hearts, Keyblade Masters."**

**[0:59-1:18] Runs through intros of Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang (Think of the first images you see of them in the Vol. 5 theme song for visual), before introducing Jaune, Ren, Nora, Qrow, and Oscar/Ozpin while guitar-solo runs**

**[1:19-1:28] Shows the Keyblade wielders fighitng alongside various members of the RWBY heroes as lyrics begin playing again. Destiny Trio with Team RNJR, Qrow, and Oscar; Wayfinder with Yang and Weiss; Twilight with Blake and Sun.**

**"Go go Keyblade Masters!"**

**"We will never stop."**

**"Go go Keyblade Masters!"**

**"It's time to rise up to the top!"**

**[1:29-1:34] Shows Sora and Ruby look to each other and grin before taking battle stances at the lead of their respective teams, all of them ready to fight before they all charge as one.**

**"Masters forever! (Forever more!) Go Beyond the Worlds, all together!"**

**[1:35-1:38] Shows Sora, Kairi, RNJR and Weiss battling the Heartless along with Cinder and her crew; Roxas, Xion, Lea, Blake, and Sun fighting Adam and the White Fang; Aqua, Qrow, Ventus, and Oscar engaging Lionheart and Hazel; and finally, Yang, Riku, and Terra clashing against Raven.**

**[1:39-end] Cycles through both Keyblade Masters and RWBY Heroes as the final lyrics run, until finally ending on a group shot of the fully assembled team and cutting to the title card, which reads "Kingdom Hearts: Beyond the Worlds: RWBY"**

**"Kingdom Hearts, Keyblade Masters. Kingdom Hearts, Keyblade Masters!"**

**"Kingdom Hearts Beyond the Worlds!"**

* * *

**_Yang:...Well, what'd you think?_**

**_Ruby: [bouncing in place with an excited grin as she giggles happily]_**

**_AN:...Not bad. Very nicely done, and teases even more about what I have in mind for when we reach that story than even the Meeting episode does. I still wanna know how you guys got into my video editing room, but I do admit, I'm impressed. Now, if there's nothing else to say or do, Weiss, if you wouldn't mind doing the introduction this time._**

**_Weiss: Very well...Today RWBY meets the heroes of the Keyblades Unleashed Series, in a special sneak preview of the future of lyokoMARVELanime stories._**

**_That felt a little long-winded._**

**_AN: Yeah, I realized it as soon as you said it out loud. Oh, well, on with the adventure, everyone._**

**_I do not own anything from any of the RWBY franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story._**

* * *

**The Keyblade Unleashed Series Heroes**

**(A Special Sneak Peek at the Future of Said Series)**

Ruby Rose was feeling a little let down, which was quite a turnaround from the mood she was in just a few hours earlier. After all the struggles she and her friends had been through, including finding out that people were after her because of how she activated her silver eyes during the Fall of Beacon, how some old fairy tales and legends were very much real, her Uncle Qrow getting poisoned, and that one last Grimm attack they had been through, she was sure that things would only be going uphill for them now that they had finally made it to Haven. It turned out that idea was a little misplaced, because all of the Huntsmen of Haven, teachers and students were absent, and Professor Lionheart was not going to be able to help them retrieve the Spring Maiden from the Branwen Tribe's camp any time soon. Sure, she did not really understand the full scope of how important it was, but from what Qrow had told her and the others, and how he reacted when Lionheart had told them how hard it would be to get the council to send someone out for a raid on said camp, she was able to at least understand the basics of everything.

Still, it was hard to believe that they had managed to get as far as they did. After the Fall of Beacon, Ruby was not entirely sure what to do. All she knew was that her team was split up, Pyrrha and Penny were dead, Beacon was gone while Vale was still being overrun by Grimm, and the only lead on the people responsible was here at Haven. Since that last one was the only thing that she could do something about, and she was not one for sitting around doing nothing for too long, Ruby had not hesitated to try and make her way to Anima, and then Mistral. She had not been too keen on getting Jaune, Ren, and Nora involved, considering that they had lost a teammate for good while all of hers were just scattered across Remnant, but they were more than happy to help even before she had finished asking them. Sure, she had no clue on what they could do after getting here, but thankfully, she was able to get at least a few more ideas when Qrow finally joined them. Now, they had hit another roadblock, and she could not see any way forward at all. It did not help that Qrow had gone off somewhere for a drink after the meeting with Lionheart, but maybe the walk back to the house would at least give one of them an idea. Like she had said in her most recent letter to her sister, Yang, if they gave up every time they lost, then they would never be able to move forward.

The peaceful walk back to their temporary abode in Mistral was brought to a swift halt when the four friends of Team RNJR (Ranger) heard screaming coming from nearby, and without even thinking, Ruby raced away to see what was going on. Her current teammates were right behind her, but when they came to the scene, they were left in shock at what they saw, and it was not because of the crowds of people that were fleeing in fear. No, the reason was the monsters that were causing all the panic. The best way to describe most of them would be to call them living Shadows, while others took on various other forms, with the one common feature among all of them being their beady, glowing yellow eyes, and how many of them had a heart-shaped symbol somewhere on their bodies. Jaune, Nora, and Ren may have fought Grimm plenty of times before, but they did not remember ever seeing any creatures like these before, and that was why they all drew their weapons a little more anxiously than usual.

Ruby on the other hand definitely recognized these beasts, because she had fought them a few times in the past alongside their enemies. "It can't be," Ruby whispered. "What are the Heartless doing here?"

"Ruby," Jaune asked, having only just heard her enough to know she was speaking, but not what she had been saying.

The silver-eyed Huntress-in-training's only response was to pull out and unfold her scythe in a quick flourish of movement, and shout, "Do whatever you can to get people away from here, or at least away from the Heartless! And make sure that they never get a chance to so much as scratch anyone, including yourselves!"

"Wait, how do you even know what these things are," Jaune asked.

"No time to explain! Just move," Ruby shouted, and with that, she blasted herself forward into battle, swinging her scythe at several Shadows the second she was in range.

The rest of Team RNJR just looked to one another before they ultimately shrugged and followed her orders. Unsurprisingly, Nora managed to take out several Heartless at once with a few easy swings of her hammer, some of which included very explosive strikes, while Ren peppered a lot with his pistols so that they were too distracted to notice either him or Jaune moving in close to slash them apart. At the same time, Jaune was taking the most action in keeping the civilians safe, as he deflected more than a few attacks or Heartless away from a fleeing civilian with his shield, but he still made it a point to attack whenever he could. He had not gotten all that work done on his weapons just so he could sit back and watch as his friends fought. Still, even with Ruby's advice, the fight was not all that much easier.

Whatever these Heartless were, it was clear that only Ruby was having a great deal of luck in getting rid of them, and even then, it seemed like every time they destroyed one another five would take its place soon after. It did not help that some of the Heartless were not so easily destroyed, as Nora learned when Magnhild actually bounced off one of the large ones after she attempted to bash it away. The Large Body, as she heard Ruby call it, had then launched itself forward, and would have flattened the powerhouse of Team JNPR had Ren not pushed her aside just in the nick of time. Afterwards, the two childhood friends/recently turned couple had made sure to pepper the Large Body's back with as much firepower as they could, allowing them to realize that was where it was weakest, but getting behind the other Large Bodies proved easier said than done.

The fact that several of the Heartless were able to fly around and attack from above did little to help matters. Sure, some of them did prove to have lightning attacks, which allowed Nora a chance to power up for stronger attacks, but at the same time, they were also immune to said element, much like others who could use elemental attacks turned out to be. This made it all the more difficult for Team RNJR, since it meant that they could not use some of their more special Dust ammo against them without getting creative, and with more and more Heartless appearing every second, it was starting to look like these things would end up succeeding where so many Grimm had failed throughout Team RNJR's travels across Anima.

Eventually, it became even more clear how outmatched the brave kids were when Jaune and Ren eventually dropped to the ground after a particularly hard hit from one of the airborne Heartless, and much to their surprise, not only had Nora fallen soon after, but she ended up having just as hard a time getting up again as they were. The only one left able to so much as remain upright at this point was Ruby, and she had been forced down onto one knee while struggling to keep her scythe up in a defensive position. As she panted, Ruby looked around at their battleground, and muttered, "Where are Sora and his friends when you need them?"

She was starting to think her question would go unanswered, especially when Jaune shouted out a warning to alert her to a Dual Blade that was about to pounce on her, until suddenly, she heard someone roaring loudly as they slashed through both the Dual Blade attacking her, and several other Heartless afterwards. A second later, that same person turned and pointed his weapon at one of the larger Heartless, and fired a blast of black flames right at it, which split apart to ignite several of the dark creatures at once. After that point, the swordsman in question drew his blade back, and unleashed a powerful swing that destroyed several of the Heartless at once.

With his most recent attack at an end, Ruby was finally able to get a good look at her rescuer, and immediately recognized him. Not that it was too hard, considering that he had not changed a bit from the last time she saw him. He still wore the same short-sleeved, black hooded jacket with gold buttons and a checker pattern at the hem, blue, cropped trousers, with the same pattern at the hem, black glovelettes and high-top boots, white V-neck shirt, and sky blue shoulder armor with gold highlights. Add in the fact that his sword was in the shape a black and silver car key, and the fact that she did not know anyone other than Mercury Black who had silver hair, and it was no surprise that Ruby would smile at seeing this particular friend. "Riku."

"Hey Ruby," Keyblade Master Riku greeted in return, but he made no move to engage any of the other Heartless.

As it turned out, Riku did not need to try and fight said monsters, because a short time later, a woman's voice could be heard shouting, "Wave of Radiance!"

In an instant, a wave of energy seemed to wash over the area, reenergizing and healing Team RNJR while simultaneously weakening, and in some cases even destroying the Heartless as it passed over. Even after the energy wave had passed, it did not seem to do anything to stop the ability's caster from rushing in and slashing through several weakened Heartless in a manner that Ruby felt was similar to the way that Weiss fought. Of course, the girl responsible for this rescuer was very different from Ruby's white-haired partner, and not just because of her attire either. Said girl showing this as smiled quite a bit once she turned to Ruby, letting a small laugh slip through her lips as she parted her short, auburn hair to one side. Like Riku, the redhead had not changed a bit from the last time Ruby saw her, as she was still wearing the same unique hooded pink-and-black dress with black ruffles on one side of the skirt and plaid on the other, black shorts that reached her mid-to-low-thighs beneath said skirt, thick belted boots, pink segmented armor piece with white highlights on her upper arm, thin white bracelets on her left wrist, and thick wristband on the other. Also like Riku, her sword was just as Ruby remembered, still retaining that skeleton-key-like design with the flowery decorations and overall harmless-looking design reminded Ruby a little of the beach.

"Your turn, Sora," the redhead calmly stated as she looked someone behind Ruby just seconds before the last person of this trio shouted out his attack.

"Command Style: Destiny Blaze Finisher," the person shouted, and right after that, one could see a red and black blur racing through the battlefield, unleashing several slashing attacks as he went. After pausing to perform a brief back flip, the person rushed forward again and performed a powerful cross-slash that wiped out several Heartless at once. Standing up straight the boy responsible for this last attack turned to grin at Ruby in the way that she knew only he could, his spiky brown hair and crown necklace waving a little in the wind as he turned.

Just like with the other two, the boy before Ruby was exactly as she remembered him. He still wore the same black and grey jacket with red lining on the hood, sleeves, and zipper, black tanktop with V-neck style collar, a pair of gauntlets that were similar in coloration to his jacket and left his hands exposed, with grey circles on the backs and yellow, buckled straps around the wrists, black cargo pants with grey pockets and red bands wrapped around each leg, black and yellow shoes, and black, red, and silver spiked-shoulder armor on his left shoulder. The key-shaped weapon in his hand was still in the shape of a simple skeleton key, and also still possessed its silver blade, crown-shaped teeth, chain, and token, with a green and orange guard that was tipped with orange circles at the bottom, and a pair of smaller circles with a sun and moon shaped symbol on either side at the top of said guard.

"No worries, Ruby. We'll take it from here," the spiky haired boy said. "You help make sure everyone stays clear of the area."

"You've got it, Sora," Ruby nodded in return just as her old friends had rushed forward to engage the Heartless again. She then looked to her stunned teammates and said, "Come on. You heard the man. Let's keep everyone safe, RNJR."

"Hold on a minute. Who are these guys," Ren asked, sounding a bit more incredulous than he normally would when speaking. Not that you could blame him, considering what he had just witnessed.

"They're some old friends of mine, and they're experts when it comes to dealing with the Heartless," Ruby explained as simply as she could. When it looked like the other three were going to ask for a little more details, she sighed and said, "Just trust me!"

Hearing Ruby take her commanding tone like that pushed all thoughts of interrogating either her or these three strangers from the remaining members of Team JNPR's minds, and they quickly set to work helping the remaining civilians. It did not stop them from seeing the three new arrivals display both incredible swordsmanship and powers unlike anything that they had seen before. Sure, they had seen similar styles being used by other Huntsmen and fellow students, but the way these guys fought seemed to be on an entirely different level in comparison. Add in the fact that they were shooting out all kinds of elemental and energy blasts, and in ways that could never be possible with Dust as far as any of them knew, and the three were all now determined to pry answers out of either Ruby or these guys as soon as the fight was over.

Still, even with the new reinforcements, Ruby knew that it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt if they did not finish the fight fast. So, once the last civilian was finally cleared out, Ruby began doing what she did best as a leader, and started analyzing everything around her from the combatants, to the battlefield, and to everything she knew about what each person on her side was capable of. Taking all of that in, it was a simple matter for Ruby to come up with a plan, but she had to be sure of one or two things before they put it fully to work. Not that it would leave certain parts of said plan unusable. "Try to corral the remaining Heartless together in one big group," Ruby shouted to her teammates, getting nods from them in return before they raced into action. Ruby then cut down several Heartless until she reached the redhead and asked, "Kairi, do you guys still have the line-up of royal attacks?"

Knowing what Ruby was referring to, the redhead, named Kairi nodded with a smile, having figured out what the cape-wearing Huntress had in mind. "Just say the word," Kairi told Ruby.

She was still not sure how they did it, but Ruby knew that Kairi was already relaying instructions to her other two friends without even saying a word. Not that it mattered, so long as it helped speed things along and got the job done, and she soon raced in to help the rest of RNJR round up the Heartless, while giving the other three the time they needed to ready their attack. With a few sings and blasts from their weapons, along with the destruction of a stray Heartless or two, Ruby's team had soon managed to get their job done, and when she turned to the three Keyblade wielders, Ruby saw that they were all set, and waved for her friends to move clear.

"NOW," Ruby shouted to her three old friends.

Upon hearing that, Sora, Riku, and Kairi all aimed their swords at the Heartless, waving them over the dark creatures for a few minutes, before they all shouted out the names of their attacks.

"Jack of Spades," Riku cried out as several energy beams erupted from his weapon, all taking the shape of a spade symbol found on typical playing cards.

"Queen of Diamonds," Kairi followed up as similar beams shot out from hers, with the difference being that the beams were in the shape of four-pointed diamonds.

"King of Hearts," Sora finished as he did the same as the other two, though his beams came in the shape of a heart symbols.

Under the assault of this royal flush of attacks, the Heartless were all soon wiped out, unable to withstand the power behind these three attacks. There was a straggler or two left, but a few quick, easy shots from Ruby's sniper rifle put them out of commission easily enough, and rendered the area clear of all Heartless at last. Seeing that the fight was over, everyone stowed away their weapons, with the three swordsmen doing so by making their blades disappear in flashes of light, and while Jaune, Ren, and Nora still had questions, it looked like they would have to wait until after Ruby had a proper reunion conversation with these strange friends of hers.

"Sora, Riku, Kairi," Ruby cheered happily as she rushed over to them. Once upon a time she probably would have jump-hugged them all one by one, but that attitude had been tempered quite a bit since the Fall of Beacon. That did not mean she did not at least give them each a normal hug though. "It's so good to see you guys again!"

"Great to see you, too, Ruby," Sora grinned in return as he returned the girl's hug.

"Yeah, it's been way too long," Kairi agreed. She then looked the smaller girl over for a minute before she added, "By the way, I love your new outfit. It really seems to showcase your status as a Huntress."

"Aw, thanks," Ruby replied while brushing her bangs back a little out of shyness. Not that many people had really commented on her new look since she switched to it, so she was not used to receiving many compliments about it these days.

At that point, Nora could not contain herself any longer, and she immediately rushed forward to get right up in the faces of the three recent arrivals, startling them with her sudden appearance. "All right, buddy, just who are you people? How do you know Ruby? What were those things? What kind of swords were those? How'd you do all that crazy stuff just now? And do you guys like pancakes," Nora rapidly asked, moving quickly from one member of the trio to the next as she did.

"Nora! Please, at least give them a chance to answer," Ren lightly scolded. With his friend somewhat calmed for the moment, Ren looked to the mystery three with Jaune and was about to offer some form of a simpler way of questioning, when something very unexpected happened.

"I'm Sora; this is my best friend, Riku, and my girlfriend, Kairi. We know Ruby because she helped us out of quite a few tight spots a while back. Those monsters are creatures of darkness known as the Heartless. They're called Keyblades. Magic and quite a bit of practice and training. And yeah, we do," Sora confirmed, answering all of Nora's questions almost as quickly as she had asked them.

Ren and Jaune could feel their jaws dropping as they gaped at the boy actually being able to keep up with Nora's hyper-speed questions, while Nora could only grin happily at the fact. "I like that one," Nora informed Ren.

"Why am I not surprised," Ren smiled in response once he got his jaw back up off the ground.

"Wait a minute. When did Ruby help you guys out? Was it sometime after the Fall of Beacon," Jaune asked.

"No, it was while we were at Beacon. Just a little while before the Vytal Festival, too," Ruby answered on the three's behalf.

"Then how come we never noticed?"

"That's…a little harder to explain very easily," Riku replied. Before he could be questioned further on it, he managed to switch topics by saying, "Before we say anything else, do you mind if we ask who you are?"

"Oh, right," Ruby exclaimed just seconds later. "Guys, this is Jaune…"

"Hey," the blonde knight nodded with a small smile.

"…Ren…"

"A pleasure," the green-clad ninja lightly bowed.

"…And Nora…"

"Hiya," Nora cheerfully waved.

"…And put us all together, and you get the heroic adventurers of Team RNJR," Ruby proudly declared with a smile.

"RNJR? I thought you said your team was called RWBY," Riku recalled, and from the look of their confused expressions, it was clear that Sora and Kairi were thinking the same thing.

"Oh well…it was, but…" Ruby slowly started to say, only for her smile to completely fall into a frown as she thought back to all the events that had lead her and her friends here. In the end, she found that all she could say was, "A lot's happened since the last time I saw you guys. It would take quite a while to really cover it all."

"Then I guess it's a good thing we happen to like long stories," Sora reminded Ruby with his usual easy-going expression and pose. "Besides, we've got a few things we need to take care of here, too, so we've got some time to spare for catching up."

Hearing that brought a smile back to Ruby's face, and with that, the group of seven all turned to return to the house Team RNJR was currently staying in once again. Only this time, a few of them had a small spring in their step as they walked due to the joy of being reunited with old friends.

* * *

In Another Part of Remnant (Time Unspecified)

Aside from her brief flash of tremors afterwards, that fight Yang had against the idiots who pointed her in the direction of her mother's camp had been a good stress reliever. Not only that, but it helped prove that her time training with her dad had helped her improve quite a lot since the Vytal Festival. Instead of just barreling through everyone, Yang had been able to think of the fly, find a way to end the fight more quickly by working around the obstacles in her way as she went, just like Taiyang had taught her, and now, she was in the clear for the rest of her trip to the Branwen Tribe camp. The only things she would have to worry about now would be any fool that was dumb enough to touch her bike while she talked her mom into sending her to Ruby via the portals that her mother made with her Semblance, convincing her mom to do that, and of course, any possible Grimm she encountered along the way. That last one did not seem like too big of a deal though, because she had not seen a single Grimm since she and her now unconscious guide got into the area.

Her hopes of avoiding the Grimm were quickly dashed though, when the sound of fighting reached her ears, and while she would have preferred to avoid anymore of the bandits that made up her mom's tribe, she knew that the quickest way to the camp was a straight line, and she did not want to waste anymore time in reuniting with her sister. They had already been apart for far too long in Yang's eyes, so it was no surprise that she decided to open up the throttle some more and rush forward with a roar of Bumblebee's engine. What she found upon arriving at the battle that was currently unfolding though, was not what she had expected at all.

The monsters she saw definitely had skin that was as black as a Grimm's, and their eyes radiated the same kind of malicious intent, but that was where the similarities ended. For one thing, most of them did not have the bone-like armor, and for another thing, most of them had very simplistic, almost humanoid appearances, save for the antenna. Others did have armor, but it actually looked like regular armor as opposed to armor that was made out of bones, and possessed blades for hands, along with a strange heart-shaped emblem somewhere on their bodies. Rounding out this collection of oddities was a number of little creatures that looked a lot like archers, and they made it a point to keep their distance while shooting arrows at the people they were fighting. Speaking of which, Yang had actually parked her bike at the edge of the battlefield so she could get a better read on the men in question, and while it was clear that they were swordsmen, Yang could not remember ever seeing swords that were shaped like giant keys before. At least, not outside of the drawings that Ruby had made after those weird dreams she used to have back in the day at Beacon.

The taller of the two was a very muscular man with long, brown hair and tanned skin, and from the way he fought, it was clear that he was more of a powerhouse fighter, much she was. His attire consisted of a tight, high-collared black shirt, over which he wore of a pair of criss-crossing red straps, a pair of hakama-like pants that were dark grey near the top and tan on the rest, and a belt that was tied together with a strange, gold badge that was shaped like a heart with a sharp cross at the base. On his arm was a set of pointed shoulder armor, along with a dark colored gauntlet that had small pieces of red in some places, and to round out his look, the man wore dark brown and gold armored boots. His key-shaped sword was colored dark brown and off-blue, and had teeth on both sides of the blade's tip, along with a hand guard that took on a wing-like shape. Hanging off the end of the handle was a silver chain, on the end of which she could just barely glimpse a token that looked like a black rock fragment with a red gem in the middle.

Turning to the other man, Yang could see that while he was not as muscular as his taller friend, he did still have some muscle on him. Something more akin to a runner or swimmers build if she had to guess. In addition to his spiky, blonde hair, the man also had a neatly trimmed blonde goatee, and also wore a set of spiked shoulder armor much like his friend, though the big difference that Yang could see at this distance was that it was colored dull green and grey. In terms of attire, the blonde man seemed to wear a sea-blue shirt, along with what looked to be a lightly armored, dark red vest, over both of which he wore his own set of criss-crossing straps, which were colored gold and held in place by a badge identical to the one that the other man wore on his belt, save for the fact that it was colored green. Continuing on with his attire, the man also wore a silver trench coat that went down to his knees, and had an off-white pleated pattern on the inside of the collar. His cargo pants were held up by a silver belt, and were colored black with some red lining around his knees and pockets. Rounding out the look, he wore a matching set of wrist bands on either wrist that had a black and gold checker pattern, with a pair of fingerless, silver gloves on his hands, and a pair of armored dull green and blue boots that Yang had almost mistaken for normal street shoes. He wielded his own key-shaped sword in a reverse grip, and from what Yang could see, it was colored mostly dark grey and dull gold, with a narrow green gem embedded at the base of the blade's shaft, just before the guard that extended a quarter of the way up the shaft. The teeth of the blade were all pointed and splayed out from the tip of the blade in a wing-like shape. Like the other man's blade, the blonde's had a token dangling off the end of a silver chain, though this one looked more like a green gem with silver flurries of wind circling around it.

Yang had no idea who these guys were, or if they were part of the Branwen Tribe, but from what she could tell, they definitely needed an extra hand in dealing with these monsters. Sure, stopping to help would probably hold her up in achieving her goal, but it was her job as a Huntress, in-training or otherwise, to help those in need whenever she could. So, with a quick pump of her shotgun gauntlet and the shotgun in her prosthetic arm, Yang dismounted her bike, took a running start, blasted the ground to send herself flying forward, and leapt into the fight with an explosive entrance that destroyed at least three of the living shadow monsters in one hit.

The two swordsmen only paused for a second in surprise at her arrival, but they seemed to pay it little more mind than that when Yang said, "Sorry to crash the party, but I just can't ever seem to pass up a chance to beat down some monsters."

From that point forward, the three were going to town on the shadow creatures, with Yang delivering several kicks and punches, the latter of which packing an extra bang since she fired off some rounds of fire Dust bullets whenever she attempted a hit, and the swordsmen continuing with what they had been doing. Not that Yang was really paying too much attention to the two after that, but she could still hear the sounds of ice and fire suddenly coming from their direction, indicating that they were probably using those kinds of Dust in the fight. What really surprised her though was when the blonde man suddenly summoned a small torrent of water to shoot at the monsters, and not in a way that would indicate he was using Dust either. The next strange thing came when the taller man suddenly began glowing, until a faint aura appeared around his body, as he shouted something that she did not quite catch, but after that aura had fully formed, the man's strikes had become faster and seemed to pack more of a punch. If that was not enough, other one suddenly began glowing a little too, but his shinning aura did not stop at one level, but instead seemed to expand further until a set of light swords appeared behind his body like a set of wings.

Yang had actually just managed to destroy another one of the sword-hand monsters when the muscular man suddenly leapt up with his blade drawn back and his aura shinning, and shouted, "Command Style: Critical Impact Finisher!"

When the man finally dropped to the ground again, his blade came down as well, and released a strong shockwave that wiped out several of the monsters at once the minute that the blade struck the ground. As impressive as that was, his friend could only smirk in amusement as he said, "Not bad, but I'm gonna be taking the win on this one." He then knelt down before he leapt into the air while shouting, "Command Style: Wingblade Finisher!"

In an instant, the light swords that were surrounding the blonde were thrown down at the ground, forming a circular pattern of light, and he immediately dived down into the center of it. The minute that the blonde hit the ground, an explosion of light exploded outward, nearly blinding everyone in the area, while encompassing the blonde and the monsters around him with its brilliance. When the light faded, nearly all the monsters had been destroyed save for one or two of the humanoid looking shadows, who apparently thought that Yang would make easy prey. She could only roll her eyes in annoyance at the big mistake that these creatures made, and immediately flipped herself over the creatures, using her gauntlet to ensure she would land behind them, and then spun around so that she could fire off a powerful blast from her prosthetic arm's shotgun as she threw one last hit. Said blast actually served to blast the shadow monster she hit into the other, and destroyed them both upon collision, clearing the area entirely.

Folding up her weapons into their inactive state, Yang took a deep, calming breath while grasping her shaking, left arm with her robotic right one, and prepared to take her leave. At least she was going to, until the blonde swordsman commented, "Impressive moves back there."

Yang turned to the man and his partner, noticing that both of their swords had seemed to have vanished completely when she faced them, and stared at them in silence for a moment before she finally spoke. "Thanks. So, what now? Some threat to take my money or maybe my bike? Because that didn't work out for your friends a little while ago, and I really don't have time to beat down anymore idiot bandits."

The swordsmen exchanged an unsure glance with one another before the taller of the two admitted, "We're not bandits, Miss. We don't have any interest in taking anything of yours, be it by stealing or otherwise."

"And yet you just happen to be in Bandit territory, this close to the Branwen Tribe's camp," Yang pointed out, her voice showing just how skeptical she was of the claim.

"He's telling the truth. It doesn't really matter to us where they are or who they're with. If the Heartless are around, then we're going to fight them," the blonde replied. When Yang gave him a curious look, he quickly explained, "That's what those creatures you just helped us fight are called; the Heartless. They're after the darkness in people's hearts so that they can drown those people in darkness, creating more Heartless once they do."

"Got it. I'll be careful then," Yang replied before making her way to her bike. She then climbed aboard and prepared to continue on her way when the taller of the two stopped her.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you," the man advised. "A small group of Heartless actually broke off from the one we were just fighting. There's no telling how many of them there are now."

"With any luck, very few, considering that it was Aqua who went after them," the blonde confidently replied.

"Somehow I doubt that," Yang cut in, getting the two's attention. "You said that these Heartless are drawn to the darkness in people's hearts, right? Well, you won't find many hearts darker than those of the bandits in the Branwen Tribe, and to some extent, their leader as well, Raven Branwen. If they got to any of Raven's tribe members, then your friend's probably in a lot of trouble right now, especially since that's the direction their camp is in."

"All the more reason why should avoid that area. If this Branwen Tribe or their leader is as bad as you say, then I don't think it would be safe for you to go in there, no matter how good you are in a fight," the dark haired man advised.

"Possibly, but I doubt it. I'm a Huntress. And more importantly, I'm Raven's daughter," Yang revealed.

That got surprised looks from both of the men, along with an exchange of those same expressions just a second afterwards, and Yang figured that was the end of it. Boy was she wrong, because the blonde was soon speaking up again. "At least let us go with you. We've had a lot more experience fighting the Heartless than you've probably had…"

"Seriously? I just told you that I've been trained to fight monsters," Yang interrupted, a little irritated that these guys were slowing her down.

"The Heartless are a much different story from what you've been training to fight," the brunette countered. He then stepped a little closer and said, "Besides, we just told you that my best friend, his wife had gone that way to try and stop some Heartless that broke off from this group we were just dealing with. We know that she can hold her own, but that doesn't mean we aren't still worried about her."

Now Yang was a little more sympathetic to the two, and after hearing about how important that friend of theirs was to the two of them, she just could not say no to letting them tag along. She was able to at least say one other thing. "Just don't slow me down or get in my way, and don't expect me to give you ride on my bike, either."

"You don't have to worry about that," the blonde reassured her and his sword from earlier then appeared in his hand in a flash of light, much to Yang's surprise. Furthering her surprise was how after he tossed it just in front of him, the blade actually changed it a flying waveboard that he immediately hopped onto, and not only that, but the other man did the same with his own sword, with the only difference being that his turned into a flying motorcycle. "See, I told you," the blonde smirked with pride, having seen the awestruck look that was undoubtedly planted on Yang's face after that.

Hearing his comment helped Yang get her head back in the game, and she was soon smirking a little at the blonde and his friend in approval of their choice of rides. "Not bad. I'm Yang, by the way. Yang Xiao Long."

"Nice to meet you, Yang. I'm Terra, and this is my brother in all but blood, Ventus," the brown haired man introduced with a nod of his head.

"You can just call me Ven," Ventus informed his fellow blonde. After Yang had nodded in response, he could not help but smirk as he said, "Now, race you guys there?"

"Oh, you are so on," Terra promised with a grin of his own.

"Please. Both of you are gonna be too busy eating my dust," Yang grinned as well, and with that, the three rocketed forward towards the bandit camp.

* * *

The race to the Branwen camp ended up being too close to call, but none of the three racers were too concerned with that, as the camp was almost completely overrun with Heartless, and not just the Shadows, Neo Shadows, Bizarre Archers, and Stalwart Blades that Yang had helped Ventus and Terra with earlier either. There were several bigger ones as well, which the two men identified as Helmed Bodies and Satyrs. In the midst of battling all of these monsters though were two women; one which Yang figured was probably Aqua by the fact she was using a key-sword like Ventus and Terra did, and a woman in red and black armor with long black hair and white helmet hiding her face that Yang recognized from various different pictures that she had seen in the past.

"MOM," Yang shouted as she ran to help the women, blasting her shotgun gauntlet and the shotgun in her prosthetic arm into the ground so that she could flip over the Helmed Body in her way before she kicked said Heartless as hard as she could before landing alongside both of the two women. Ventus and Terra soon followed after, with Ventus tossing his Keyblade through a few Neo Shadows, while Terra just powered through the Satyrs that dared to stand in his path.

Upon realizing that the blonde girl was next to her, the black haired woman sheathed her sword for a minute and removed her helmet, revealing a face that looked so much like Yang's, along with a pair of red eyes that gained a very small bit of warmth amidst the steely cold at the sight of her daughter. "Yang," one Raven Branwen acknowledged with a smile. "Not quite the family reunion I would've hoped for, but it's still good to see you after so long."

"I'd argue that you could've come to see us sooner, but right now, we've got monsters to take down, so we'll talk later," Yang replied as curtly as she could at the moment, even if she was shaking a little at the sight of her mom's face.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Aqua agreed, and it was at this point that Yang finally turned to take in the other woman's appearance.

A good deal of Aqua's attire held various shades of blue in it, which probably should not have surprised Yang too much, but what she did find interesting was that Aqua had blue hair that looked natural, and shimmering blue eyes that felt very warm and comforting, despite their hardened state as Aqua looked amongst the Heartless around them. In terms of her actual appearance, she wore a dark, navy blue shirt that accented her womanly figure in a way that almost made Yang jealous, along with tight black pants that almost seemed like a second skin with how they hugged her legs. Wrapped around her waist was a blue sash that was interwoven with a white strip of cloth, silver pointed boots with a sharp hook on the outer side of each, and a long light blue waist coat that was lined with white. Like her friends, Aqua wore a pair of intersecting straps over her chest, hers being colored pink, and she also wore the same badge as the other two on the intersection point of said straps, like Ventus, though hers was colored blue. Rounding out her outfit, Aqua wore a pair of tan, fingerless gloves on her hands, while a small, segmented armor piece was worn on each of her upper arms.

Looking to her key-shaped weapon, Yang could not help but think back to the weird dreams Ruby had told her and the rest of Team RWBY a while back. She mentally shook that aside though so that she could better study the weapon in question. The guard of Aqua's key-sword was circular with somewhat jagged edges, with the upper half being colored black, the center grey, and the bottom white. The shaft of the blade was thin and navy blue in coloration, save for the tip, which was silver. From what she could glimpse, the base of the shaft had to diamond-shaped bumps, while the teeth of the key-sword were comprised of a rectangular frame with four short, blunt spikes, all of which were navy blue. She could not get a full view of the token on the end of the blade's silver chain, but from what she could tell, it very closely resembled water droplets.

Having completed her quick study of Aqua, Yang finally turned to Ventus and muttered, "So that's your wife, huh?" When Ventus nodded in reply, Yang could only smirk and say, "You've got good tastes."

"Yes, he certainly does," Aqua smiled at her husband teasingly, earning her a blush from Ventus that was accompanied by a small smile.

"Focus! I'd rather not have my camp overrun by these things to the point where all the panic attracts the Grimm," Raven scolded the three.

"Wow. She's quite the people person," Terra grunted with a small look in Raven's direction.

"Trust me, Terra, you have no idea," Yang quipped in return while shooting her look at her mother.

It was at that point that several Satyrs suddenly charged them, forcing Terra to jump in and block them as best he could, while Ventus and Aqua both blasted the others with powerful gusts of wind. When Terra finally forced his Satyr back, it was sent careening towards another part of the camp, until it finally crashed through a few tents and revealed an area that seemed to have been made into a haphazard prison. What really surprised Yang and her three new acquaintances though, was the person inside of the cage, though it was more so in Yang's case, since she recognized the imprisoned girl instantly.

"Yang?" Weiss Schnee gasped in surprise.

"Weiss?!" Yang exclaimed, just as surprised to see her old teammate as the Schnee heiress was.

All the fighting seemed to have paused at the girls' sudden reunion, until Weiss finally just rolled her eyes and muttered, "Alright, well, subtlety is out."

Barely even a moment later, the cage Weiss was in collapsed from a massive, glowing knight with a large sword suddenly growing up from within it, freeing Weiss from her confinement, and allowing her to join up with the others. When the knight followed alongside of Weiss, Yang just knew that her friend had something to do with its creation, so when the Atlesian girl finally came to stand with them, she just had to ask, "What is that?"

"Don't worry about it," Weiss reassured her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, aside from helping some new friends fighting off these monsters called Heartless, that's my mom and she can take us to Ruby," Yang explained, not noticing how the three strange swordsmen had all started exchanging looks between one another at the mention of her sister's name.

"Excuse me, but what makes you think I can do that," Raven questioned, honestly wondering how her daughter could think she would be able to send her to Summer's kid.

"Because Ruby's with Qrow, and your Semblance lets you open a portal to people that you've made a special kind of bond with, among which are me, Dad, and Uncle Qrow," Yang stated as simply as she could. When Raven gave Yang a look that demanded how she knew that, Yang simply said, "Dad told me."

"Tai…" Raven whispered irritably.

"Wait a minute," Weiss interrupted, having barely processed much more beyond what Yang had just informed her of. "Your _mom_ kidnapped me?!"

That was something that Yang did not know, and she could not stop herself from turning an angry glare on her mother as she snapped, "You kidnapped her?!"

"Okay, clearly we've all got a lot that needs to be talked about, so anyone else think it's high time we end this," Terra interrupted while casting a look to his two friends.

"Yep," Ventus and Aqua both replied.

"Terra, you take the big ones," Ventus instructed.

"Only if you get the ones that are stupid enough to think they're safer if they fight us from a distance," Terra quipped with a smirk.

"And I guess I'll handle the rest," Aqua finished with a tired tone, though her smile betrayed her true feelings. Right after that, Aqua had raised her blade up into the air and shouted, "Thundaza!"

Upon shouting that one, strange word, Aqua seemed to have called down a rain of powerful lightning bolts that destroyed a great deal of the Heartless in one blow, while causing some minor damage to the surrounding area. Nothing too bad though, much to Raven's relief, though she was a little skeptical about just how much she and her tribe would be able to repair once these three were done, especially after seeing Terra transform his sword into a massive cannon. When some of the Bizarre Archers prepared to fire on him, Ventus quickly came to the rescue by imbuing his sword with what looked like a faint aura of wind, and tossed it at them. Not only did he destroy the ones that were targeting his friend, but a few simple motions of his hand seemed to allow the wind currents around the blade to carry it through various other foes as well before it finally returned to Ven.

With any enemies that could impede him now cleared, Terra zeroed in on the remaining Helmed Bodies and Satyrs, built up a great deal of energy at the cannon's barrel as it formed into a massive sphere, and then fired a powerful blast that destroyed all of the remaining Heartless in a single blow. Sure, there were one or two stragglers, but they were easily taken care of after being cut down by one single strike from each of the three swordsmen. After taking a moment to make sure that they were cleared of all enemies, Raven looked to the three and said, "Not bad. I've seen quite a few extraordinary things while my brother and I were doing Ozpin's dirty work, but you three…well, you're definitely a first in at least one or two ways."

The first response Raven received ended up being Aqua aiming her Keyblade right at her, as she replied, "And you won't ever again unless you agree to release the girl and let us all go on our way."

"And by that she means send me to Qrow so I can go and make sure that my sister is safe," Yang clarified.

Raven merely looked between the two women for a minute before she leveled her gaze on Aqua and said, "You really don't want to test me."

"Actually, that's the other way around," Ventus corrected as he came to stand alongside his wife, his sword still at the ready, while Terra took up a position on his other side. "You don't want to cross a Keyblade wielder in general, Raven, and you definitely should never cross any one of us."

Raven just continued to hold an even gaze on the three, while studying her daughter and Weiss out of the corner of her eye, before she finally just sighed and motioned for one of her men to hand over Weiss's sword. Once the Schnee heiress had her blade in hand again, Raven fixated her gaze on the group of five and said, "In my tent. All five of you. Now."

"Why," Yang asked.

"…If you're really going after your sister, then you need to know the truth," was all that Raven said before she marched into her tent, leaving the five to their own devices for a little bit.

Once she was sure that they had a moment to themselves, Yang turned to apologize to Weiss for whatever her mom had put her through, only stop short when Weiss suddenly hugged her tightly. Yang was naturally surprised by this, having never expected something like this from the ice queen, as she and so many of their other friends had called Weiss in the past, but what really surprised her was how much Weiss was shaking, almost like she was on the verge of tears. That might have been a little more true than Yang realized as the only thing Weiss could say after a little bit came with a great deal of emotion that she had never once heard from the rich girl before.

"I missed you so much," Weiss whimpered, already feeling like tears were going to start falling at any minute. Whether they were of joy, relief, or just the ones she had been holding in after all the tough times she had been through recently, Weiss did not care. All she knew was that she was finally back where she felt most at home: with one of her teammates; one of her friends.

Realizing this, Yang could not have felt more touched, and it showed when she smiled happily and hugged Weiss back just as tightly as she replied, "I missed you too."

The three Keyblade wielders all smiled silently as they watched the reunion taking place before their eyes, while the glowing knight slowly vanished into thin air, and they remained silent for a good amount of time, allowing the two members of Team RWBY to really bask in the relief of finally being together again. When the two finally broke apart, Ventus finally stepped forward to ask a question that had been bothering him for a little bit. "Um, Yang, correct me if I'm wrong, but I could've sworn that you said that your sister's name was Ruby," the blonde recalled. "Would that be as in Ruby Rose?"

That surprised both Weiss and Yang, and the latter quickly asked, "You know Ruby? Do you know where she is?! Have you seen her?!"

"Whoa, whoa, settle down," Terra attempted to placate before the blonde got too excited.

When the girls had placated their reactions to a reasonable level, Aqua took the chance to explain, "We know _of_ Ruby, but we've never met her personally, assuming that it is the same girl we're thinking about."

"Dark hair that gradates to red, red cloak with a hood, and carries a large red and black scythe that's also a gun," Weiss described as quickly as she could.

"Yeah, that's her," Ventus, Terra, and Aqua all said as one.

At Yang and Weiss's looks of demanding, Ventus explained, "She helped out some friends of ours a little while back when we were dealing with a serious situation that the Heartless were also involved in, and if I know both mine and Aqua's former apprentices, then they've either met up with her at some point recently, they're going to soon, or they're already with her right now."

"And just who are these friends," Weiss asked.

Aqua, Ventus, and Terra all shared a smile between themselves before the lone female of the Wayfinder Trio asked, "Have either of you ever heard the names Sora, Riku, or Kairi before?"

* * *

In yet Another Part of Remnant (Time Still Unspecified)

Blake may have started out with very hopeful and optimistic expectations, but after the day she had been having, that hope and optimism had quickly dwindled. Then again, maybe Sun's confidence in his ability to get a few people to sign up for helping them to save Haven Academy from the impending White Fang attack had raised her spirits a little more than she had originally thought, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. Still, she had thought that she would have been able to get at least one person in all of Menagerie to sign up and join the fight, even if it was asking a lot of them. Sure, Menagerie was a safe haven for many, if not all Faunus, but after what she had seen during her time away from home, Blake knew that it was not going to last if they just stayed here thinking that what happened out in the rest of the world did not directly affect them. All she had to do was try and prove that to these people.

It was proving easier said than done, as she stood on the docks and watched several people either walk or swim away once they heard or realized why she was there, either because they were scared of the idea, or felt that it was asking too much for them to leave the safety of Menagerie to try and defend some of the people that they had come here to get away from in the first place. Blake was just about to go join up with Sun for a brief lunch break, when someone from behind her asked, "Hey, why the long face?"

Turning to the speaker, Blake found her eyes resting on an odd trio of Faunus. The speaker himself looked to be a fox Faunus, given his ears and tail, was tall, and had wild red hair that was styled in slicked-back spikes. His attire consisted of a sleeveless, hooded black vest worn over a sleeveless dark grey and red plaid button-down shirt with a short-sleeved black shirt underneath that, blackish-red pants, and black mid-calf boots, while an orange and red gauntlet adorned his left arm. His two companions were clearly much younger, though were still obviously close friends from what Blake could tell, and looked like they were twin siblings.

The boy had dark blonde, spiky hair, along with some cheetah spots running along his skin, and wore a black, grey t-shirt, black high-collared jacket, over which he wore a second, unzipped white jacket with a number of black block designs and a red pleated design on the inside of the collar, black and beige colored pants, grey and black shoes with red straps, and a black and white wrist band on his left wrist, while the index and middle fingers of said hand were adorned with rings that were one of the two colors. On his shoulder, he also wore a simple, armor piece, though his was a smoothly rounded piece of shoulder armor with the beginnings of spikes taking shape at the tops, colored silver and black, and had a cross symbol on the inside of the dial in the center that matched the one he wore as a zipper for his black jacket.

Finally, there was the girl of the group, and also the shortest of the three. Her Faunus characteristic was a set of black cat ears, but Blake could tell from past experiences that they were meant to be those of a panther. It certainly helped that she could see the faint signs of claws at the tips of the other girl's fingers. She had short black hair that parted to the right, with some tucked behind her right ear, and was decked out in a sleeveless double-buttoned, collared shirt and black belt, with a short white skirt underneath along with matching pair of shorts that reached just to the tops of her knees, black boots that came halfway up to her knees with a beige color to the upper fifth, a white sash with a faint, grey wave pattern that wrapped around her waist, and her own set of armor that rested on her shoulder and was colored sea-green with light blue highlights, with a very strange looking emblem on the inside of its dial that Blake almost missed due to how small the dial in question was.

Realizing that she had spent a little more time studying the three than she probably should have, Blake gave herself a mental slap back into reality and replied, "I've been trying to get people to sign up and help defend Haven Academy from the attack that Adam Taurus and the White Fang are planning to launch soon, but no one's too willing to leave the safety of Menagerie, let alone fight against the White Fang in defense of a human school."

"Well, why not just ask the leader of Menagerie to send whatever soldiers you already have to help," the blonde asked.

"If we could do that, we would have, but unfortunately, Menagerie doesn't have any formal army for my father to send out, so we need volunteers to help with this," Blake replied. She found it a little strange that the boy would say that, and quickly came to one conclusion. "You three aren't really from around here, are you?"

"Just arrived today, actually," the redhead confirmed. "We're actually from some place that's very well removed from the rest of the world, so we aren't all that up-to-date on the latest news and gossip that everyone else is familiar with."

There was something about the way that he said that Blake found a little funny, so she could not help but at least let out a short giggle in response. Any worries she had about offending the three were put at ease when the three just gave small grins in response, but it did not stop her from frowning again when she thought about one of the reasons as to why she was so desperate to find people to help with this. "If we don't get some help to stop Adam and the White Fang, it'll be the Fall of Beacon all over again, and as someone who not only fought through that battle but somehow managed to survive it, I can't let that happen," Blake continued to explain. Her mind then went back to the sight of one of her best friends having her arm cut off, despite her best attempts to not think about that horrible moment, and she then whispered, "Adam's already hurt so many people, because of his intentions or because of me. I won't let him hurt anyone else the same way he already has others."

Apparently she had not been quiet enough, because the other three seemed to have heard it, and the girl soon stepped up and held a hand out to Blake. Confused at the gesture, Blake only quirked an eye at the ravenette, her cat ears further emphasizing that confusion with the way they twitched in response, prompting the girl to say, "You're taking down signatures on that, right? Let me see it so I can sign mine and my friends' names on there."

Blake could hardly believe her ears, and since she had more than one pair, her hearing was really good, but she still handed over her Scroll to the girl. A minute later, the girl had typed three names onto the list that Blake had set up for the volunteers and handed it back, and the cat Faunus could only grin at seeing that she had been serious when she made that statement. "Roxas, Xion, and Axel," Blake read aloud, just to confirm it a little better.

When she read out the last name, the redhead groaned loudly as he said, "Why'd you sign me on there under that name, Xion? I've told you guys it's Lea, now. You can call me Axel if you want, but at least have the decency to sign my real name on stuff like that."

"Sorry, force of habit," the girl, now identified as Xion shrugged in return. "We've just got it too well memorized."

"She's right," the blonde, who Blake assumed was Roxas laughed in agreement.

His laughter drew a small glare from the redhead, though whether she should call him Axel or Lea, Blake was still unsure, while the man himself retorted, "Laugh it up, Zombie-Boy."

"So, should I call you Lea or Axel," Blake finally asked.

"It's Lea. That's L-E-A, just to be clear. Got it memorized," the redhead replied.

"Uh…Sure, I suppose," Blake nodded as she made the correction on the spreadsheet.

"Good, because if these two aren't going to use it, someone has to, besides a small number of our other friends," Lea grinned in approval. "So, any chance we can lend you a hand with getting more signatures?"

"I wouldn't mind the help, but I was actually about to meet up with a friend for lunch. You're welcome to join us if you want," Blake offered.

"Thanks, we'd appreciate that," Xion accepted on the three's behalf.

"Assuming we wouldn't be too much trouble, Miss…" Roxas added, trailing off at the end so that they could get her name.

"Belladonna. Blake Belladonna," the young Huntress-in-training replied with a smile.

Afterwards, the four made their way to the stand where Sun was waiting for them, and after a few quick introductions, they had all gotten a drink at the very least and sat down at one of the nearby tables. When she asked the monkey-boy she had grown so close to how much luck he had getting signatures though, Blake felt her spirits drop again when Sun reported that he had not been able to convince anyone to sign up. It did not help that he revealed how he had tried a lot of different tricks to better convince people, either, because if Sun's exuberance and spirit could not convince people, Blake had to wonder what would.

The time that they spent waiting for their food to be prepared was then mostly spent with Sun complaining, or more accurately ranting about how so many people did not want to help them with the matter, until he finally just got right to the point of what really frustrated him. "How can they just sit around and do nothing with the White Fang getting ready to attack," the leader of Team SNNN demanded.

"Because not everyone is like us," Blake calmly explained. "The Faunus here in Menagerie – the ones that weren't born on the island – moved here because they were tired of fighting, of having to struggle constantly. Menagerie is filled with people that just want to be left alone, and here we are, asking them to put the rest of the world before themselves."

"Huh, sounds kinda familiar," Lea mused, surprising Sun and Blake a little. "A while back, the three of us were part of this group of…people, who were different from everyone else, and most of them joined up because of a promise to help us change that. You could say that they were promising to change us from being a bunch of nobodies into being someone that actually mattered and existed, but if you were to ask a good number of them to help out the people who basically casted us aside like that, and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who was willing to do so. We were content with just keeping to ourselves and focusing on achieving our own goals, but ask us to lend the common man a helping hand, to put others before ourselves, and you'd have a really hard time getting many of us to line up and join in."

"Huh…Sounds like you guys have had it rough," Sun noted.

"You don't know the half of it," Xion muttered with a sad look to the side. Roxas seemed to have heard her, and quickly reached over to pat and rub her shoulder soothingly, much to her relief.

Blake could not help but smile a little at the moment between these two siblings, who had earlier confirmed for her that they were in fact twins, but it did not keep her mind off of the big problem that they were facing. "The real problem here though, is that whatever happens at Haven is going to affect them whether they like it or not. If Adam gets his way and Haven falls, it's only going to make things worse for the Faunus. Everywhere."

Something in her voice must have given her away, because Lea eventually commented, "You know, whenever you've talked about this Adam guy, it almost sounds like you know him. Was he a friend of yours or something?"

"…Yes," Blake admitted after a few seconds with a sigh.

"Hey, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Sun interjected, shooting the redhead a slightly reproachful look as he did, to which Lea quickly raised his hands in peaceful surrender to show he had not meant any harm.

"No, it's okay," Blake reassured her good friend. "Adam and I…we were partners back when I was in the White Fang, right up until I finally left."

"You were part of this White Fang group," Xion exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes. I was born into it, really, considering that my father was the leader back when the methods the group used were more peaceful, but after stepping down for a new leader to take over, their methods became much more violent, especially in operations that Adam led. After seeing all the bloodshed that followed in our wake though, I decided to leave and try to really make things better for everyone by becoming a Huntress. I'm still trying to do that, but it hasn't gotten any easier since what happened to Beacon."

"So why didn't you leave when your dad did," Roxas asked.

Blake seemed to think about that for a minute before she finally answered with a question of her own. "Have any of you ever met someone and thought to yourself, 'They are the personification of this word.'"

"Uhhhhh…" was all Sun could say, not really understanding the question, and voicing that same confusion for the other three as well.

Blake must have realized this, because she was quick to simplify it for the four. "Okay, well, I remember getting to know Ruby and thinking, 'This girl is the embodiment of 'purity.'' After a while, I saw Weiss was 'defiance,' and Yang was 'strength.'"

"What am I," Sun asked, curious as to what word the girl had assigned to him.

Blake could only smile with a slightly teasing glint in her eye that neither Xion or Roxas missed, and said, "Jury's still out on that one, but I'm leaning towards 'earnest.'" That seemed to be satisfactory for Sun, much to Blake's amusement, and she was able to take some strength from that as she continued on with her explanation. "At first I thought Adam was 'justice,' then I thought he was 'passion,' but over time I realized I was wrong. He wasn't any of those things. He was 'spite.' Not 'hatred', not 'rage', 'spite.' He won't accept equality, only suffering for what he feels the world did to him, and his way of thinking is dangerously contagious. And honestly, that both scares and worries me, especially for the sake of the other friends I left behind when I left the White Fang."

Hearing that drove all four of the others to silence as they mused over what Blake said, none of them really sure what to say, until finally, Lea broke the silence. "Have you given up on those friends," he asked.

"What," Blake questioned.

"The friends you left behind after quitting the White Fang. Have you given up on them," Lea elaborated.

"No, of course not. I want to help them the same way that others have helped me from drowning in guilt and fear, even though I tried to push them away out of concern for their safety. It's about time I saved my friends and not the other way around, anyway," Blake replied.

"Good," Lea smiled in return, surprising the two Faunus. "That group I mentioned earlier, they were not the people that they really claimed to be. They were hurting others, even some of their members, all for the gain of a single madman with delusions of grandeur, to put it mildly. Despite that, I thought it would be better to stick with them, knowing that turning on them would get me and my friends destroyed." He then pointed to his two friends and said, "That didn't stop these two squirts. The minute they realized something was wrong and that they could do something to help make things right, they didn't hesitate to pack up and bail out. Of course, the group wasn't too willing to let them go, but they made the mistake of assigning me as the one to either bring them back or take them out. I wasn't about to let my best friends suffer anymore, especially when the reason was for doing the right thing, not just for them, but for so many others, so, without them even knowing, I became a double agent, feeding information on the group to the people who came to rescue Roxas and Xion for as long as I could, while keeping other unique individuals safe from various parties, because I promised these two that no matter what happened, or how much they ran, I would always be there to bring them back, not to the group, but to me."

"And we can never be grateful enough for that, Axel," Xion smiled happily.

Roxas nodded in concurrence, before he turned to Blake so that he could take the reins of the conversation. "We definitely know where you're coming from when it comes to having a first impression abolished. Using your example of people that are personifications of certain words, I would say that the first real father figure I had, mine and Xion's teacher, Ventus, would be someone that I eventually came to think of as the embodiment of 'friendliness,' and his girlfriend, now wife, Aqua was 'strength.' Of course, I still think Xion's boyfriend Riku is 'arrogance'…"

"Roxas," Xion admonished, prompting him to laugh a little, showing that he was not entirely serious. In fact, if Blake had to guess, she would say that Roxas viewed Xion's boyfriend in a similar manner to the way that her father viewed Sun. Still, there was something about the name Riku that tickled her mind a little, like she had heard the name somewhere once before. She put it aside when Xion picked up where Roxas left off. "Seriously though, I'm pretty sure that he relates Riku to the same word that I do: 'selflessness.' And if we were to compare some of our other friends to certain words, I would say that Kairi is 'kindness,' and our brother Sora…well, it's hard to go with just one word. Honestly, I'm thinking that maybe 'optimism' could work, or maybe even the same word you used for your friend Ruby; 'purity,' because it's hard to really find anyone who's light shines as brightly and purely as Sora's."

Blake could only silently gasp at hearing that last name, as it served to clue her in on where she had heard the name Riku before; the same place she had heard the other two that Xion mentioned, and she made a point to question the two about it later on. The only reason why she was not right now was because Roxas had taken over once again. "The leader of that group, known as the Organization, though, I'd say that if we were to use a word to describe him at first, it would probably be 'assurance', or 'hope', because he always seemed so certain that following his lead to achieve his goals would get us what we were hoping for. Boy, were we wrong. He was only ever interested in helping himself. He was never 'rage', or 'hatred', or even 'curiosity' like would probably claim to be. Honestly, I would label him as 'insane' or 'evil.' If it weren't for Ventus and Sora, we probably never would have realized it until it was too late, and we're glad that they did help us, because we can repay that kindness by doing the same for them when they need us to, and for others when given the chance."

"Do you really think it is possible to help them though? I mean, we haven't really had much luck convincing anyone around here to go to Haven and save them," Blake pointed out.

"Positive," Roxas reassured with a nod. When Blake and Sun seemed to remain skeptical, Roxas decided to add a couple more words of wisdom to his assurance. "Hakuna Matata."

"Uh…what," Blake asked in return.

"Ha-who-na Ma-what-a," Sun attempted to repeat, only to fall very short.

"Hakuna Matata. It's something that Roxas and I learned a while back when we were journeying with our older brother and some of our other friends that means 'no worries,'" Xion explained. "Whatever happened in the past is already over with, and we can't do anything about it except move on, put it behind us, and work as hard as we can now to build a better future."

Blake still seemed unsure about that, and said, "I'm not so sure if it'll be that easy. My own past isn't exactly filled with much more than pain and suffering." The next thing she knew, Lea had reached over and jabbed her in the forehead with two fingers. "Ow! What'd you do that for," Blake demanded.

"Doesn't matter. It's already in the past," Lea informed her.

"It still hurts," Blake pointed out.

"So what? Sometimes the past hurts, but that doesn't mean you should run from it. If anything, it would be more helpful to learn from it," Lea replied, already rising to repeat his earlier actions. This time though, Blake not only dodged him, but also caught his arm in order to further prevent him from trying anything else. That must have been what the redhead was hoping for, as he smiled brightly like he had just won a huge prize. "See? And if you can learn from your past to do better, then I'm sure any real friends you have that are still in the White Fang can do the same."

Blake just had to smile as she released Lea's arm, and nodded to the three in thanks just as their food order was announced as ready. Sun quickly stood up to grab their orders, and came back just as quickly, passing everything out so that they could enjoy their quick lunch break as fast as possible before he and Blake got back to work on getting more signatures. After a few minutes of eating in silence though, Blake decided that it was time for her to address the matter she had thought of earlier.

"Hey, Roxas, Xion," the cat Faunus said, getting the twins' attention. "You mentioned earlier that you had an older brother named Sora, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Crazy thing is that we didn't even know about him until some point after meeting Ventus," Roxas replied. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that…my teammate and team leader, Ruby had mentioned meeting someone by that name once. I doubt it's the same person though, considering that I'm pretty sure she dreamed the guy up, unless your brother fights monsters with a giant key," Blake replied. When the two exchanged a few looks with both each other and Lea, Blake's ears seemed to fold in on themselves to showcase her suspicion, as she asked, "He…doesn't, does he?"

"Well…not alone, anyway," Roxas admitted. "And more to the point, he's not the only one with a weapon like that."

"The three of us have got one, too. Of course, in Roxas's case its two Keyblades," Lea revealed while throwing a playfully jealous look at his best friend.

Roxas just shook his head in response to the redhead's comment, while Xion asked, "You're sure that your friend mentioned meeting someone by the name Sora, though?"

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that it was just a weird dream," Blake confessed.

"Trust me, if she says that she met Sora at some point, then she probably did. Our big brother's got a habit of making friends in more ways than you can imagine, sometimes without even leaving his home," Xion half-joked in response.

Now Blake was curious, and she could not help but ask for the three to tell her a little more, unaware of just how incredible a story that they would be able to spin for her until after they started.

* * *

_**To Be Continued in Kingdom Hearts: Beyond the Worlds…**_

* * *

_**AN: Okay, so I'm sure all of you Keyblades Unleashed Series followers have now gotten a good idea of some things to expect when we reach Beyond the Worlds, along with a few other things, but let me go over those details for you all now.**_

_**The first of which being the big one I'm sure everyone's noticed: yes, Ventus and Aqua will have gotten married by the time Beyond the Worlds has taken place, and also for the record, Sora, Riku, and Kairi will have all been named Keyblade Masters as well. Moving along, I'm sure you all noticed that there were at least a few people who got costume changes on the Kingdom Hearts side of things. Just to be clear, in the cases of most of them, that would only be the addition of some variety of Keyblade armor. This would be in the cases of Sora, Riku, Lea (aka Axel), and Roxas, as they still retain their final looks from Kingdom Hearts 3. Lea's being the look he was sporting post-game-story. In terms of other characters, like Kairi and Xion, while their appearances are mostly the same as they were by the previously mentioned point, there are one or two changes that make their outfits a little more battle-suited, with my own personal touch added in. Finally, there's the matter of Ventus and Aqua's new looks. Those are completely original stylings that I myself came up with, and they will start sporting those outfits when the Keyblades Unleashed Series reaches its version of KH3 (Meaning Kingdom Hearts: Trinities). I may try my best to actually create an illustration or two of those new looks later on, assuming I ever get around to creating an account on DeviantArt, but for now, I hope you can all just work with whatever your imaginations provide for you. And before you all ask, yes, Terra is the only one who's appearance hasn't changed at all from what we've seen in the past. Or at least the only one among the characters who showed up here. The same could also be said of the other heroes who will appear in this story of this series, but then again, how often have we seen Donald, Goofy, or Namine change their looks, and why would you want to change Mickey's KH appearance that much from canon?**_

_**I hope no one was too disappointed from how little action there may or may not have been from the various guest stars, but keep in mind, this is a sneak preview of what's to come in the Keyblades Unleashed Series, so I've got to keep some things under my hat. Also, another thing I should mention is that this whole thing was told from the RWBY cast's point of view, so expect a few differences between this and when I post the actual, full story for Beyond the Worlds.**_

_**Ruby: Um, can I ask why it seemed like I already knew at least Sora, and why the rest of my team acted like they didn't believe me when I told them about it?**_

_**AN: You can and did, and I will provide an answer. The reason is because, Sora or at least one member of the Destiny Trio will acquire the ability to summon Ruby Rose via Heart Binders in Kingdom Hearts Trinities, and since only Ruby would have been called in, while other worlds are supposed to be a secret, and space travel is impossible for Remnant, it only makes sense that the rest of Team RWBY would have a hard time thinking that it was anything more than a dream. Boy are they in for a few surprises.**_

_**Yang: You know, after seeing it happen in the theme song, I was kinda hoping that we could at least get a glimpse of me fighting my mom with Riku and Terra.**_

_**AN: Hey, like I said, gotta keep at least a few things under my hat for now, so I'm afraid that you guys are gonna have to wait a little bit longer for some of the really good stuff that takes place in that story. I know some of you may or may not be too fond of the fact that it'll be taking place during Vol. 5 of RWBY, but hey, look on the bright side, at least you'll get to see a little bit of Pre-Vol. 4 RWBY when Ruby appears to backup the Destiny Trio in Trinities.**_

_**Well, I'd say that wraps up this Meeting chapter, which means all that's left to do now is to wait and see who shows up to work with Team RWBY and their friends next time, and what kind of adventure it'll be when they appear. It's kinda fun writing one-shots like this, to be honest. But for now, if you want to see more Kingdom Hearts and RWBY action, check out Remnant of the Key, and as for this little one-shot series...**_

_**Please read and review, and I'll see in the next colorful adventure!**_


	3. The Transformers

_**WBY: [patiently waiting in interview room doing various things. Weiss's looking over something on her Scroll, Blake's reading, and Yang's just tapping her foot]**_

_**Blake: [glances up from her book to the clock before turning to her partner] Alright Yang, what did you do?**_

_**Yang: Why are you asking if I did something?**_

_**Weiss: Probably because it's been a few hours now, lyoko still hasn't shown up for the big unveiling of his birthday present for Ruby, and the last time most of us checked, or at least last most of us checked over at Remnant of the Key, you were one of the last people in our franchise that he had ticked off.**_

_**Yang: Not true! That was Uncle Qrow, and they're cool now, just like me and him are.**_

_**WB: Uh-huh.**_

_**Yang: I'm serious! Lyoko and I are all good! I really don't know where he could be.**_

_**AN: [suddenly bursts into the room before slamming the door shut behind him and barricading it with everything that he can. Various construction noises are heard as he's doing so before he finally stops and pants] Jeez! Talk about relentless. [turns to see the girls] Hey, whatever you three do, do not, I repeat, NOT open that door!**_

_**Weiss: Uh...why not?**_

_**[something begins banging against the door]**_

_**AN: Oh no! No! No, no, NO, NO, NO! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE! [prepares to make a run for it]**_

_**[door gets blown open as something charges into lyokoMARVELanime]**_

_**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! SHE'S GOT ME!**_

_**Ruby: Hush! You deserve to get this massive hug, and I will be darned if I don't hug you for this present!**_

_**AN: It's not the hug I have a problem with, Ruby! [face starts turning blue while breath begins to run short] It's the fact that it's cutting off circulation to most of my body!**_

_**Yang: Ruby, sweetie, I know it's your birthday, but we can't see what present lyoko wrote for you if he's dead.**_

_**Ruby: Trust me, Yang, you'll want to give him just as big of a hug as me by the time this little short story is done.**_

_**Blake: Well, maybe you should let us see why that is the case before you continue at least, or consider lightening up so that he can breathe. I don't think he's kidding about that part.**_

_**Ruby: [looks to author to see he is starting to run out of air] Oops! Sorry! [immediately lets go letting lyoko drop as he gets some air back in his lungs] But I'm just so happy about this gift of yours.**_

_**AN: I...I know you are...I got that, Ruby, thanks. But...Oh...*pants*...But let's at least...let everyone know why...before you start suffocating me again with anymore hugs, okay?**_

_**Ruby: Yeah, okay. That's fair.**_

_**AN: Okay...Ahem, now then, Happy Halloween everyone, and let's give a big Happy Birthday to our favorite huntress of Remnant!**_

_**[audience applause]**_

_**Ruby: Aw, stop it! You guys are too nice!**_

_**AN: Pft! Please. There's no such thing as "too nice".**_

_**Yang: Well...**_

_**AN: No such thing!...That said, before we get into it, there is actually a review or two from the last short story that I would like to answer really quick.**_

_**"Dragon Rider 66", in regards to your question about the Twilight Trio's Faunus traits (first off, let me correct you and say that Roxas was a cheetah, not a leopard), consider Roxas and Xion's are basically a teaser for what forms they'll take when they visit the Pride Lands in Keyblade Legion. As for Lea's...well, I just looked up a list of animals that were typically associated with fire and chose something from that. More and more, it is looking like I might get an account on deviantart at some point in the future to do as you say, or at the very least, so people can find the full-sized/fledged versions of the cover art for my stories, so keep your eyes pealed for that in the future, assuming I don't announce it on here at some point in the future. As for what you said about the parody opening, well...I get not liking the new lyrics, but the pre-existing ones for the actual song just didn't really work for it, ya know?**_

_**Other than that, "CT7567Rules", I don't know about the ones you suggested, but I may try and do some future parody intros for other stories in the Keyblades Unleashed Series at some point in the future, so eyes open for that. Then again, maybe I could try and think of something that would work with those other songs for one of my other stories. You never really know.**_

_**Blake: Anything else?**_

_**AN: Nope, that's it. Now then, today's meeting is an AU where our special guests do exist in the same universe as the RWBY series, obviously. They're just from another world, and their presence does have quite the AU creating impact on Remnant. It's basically a rough draft for a crossover idea I have in mind, and I think that what you'll see in this one may very well be something a lot of you will like. I mean, it's obvious that Ruby certainly does, since she got too eager and snuck a peek at it early.**_

_**Ruby: Hehe! [smiles cheekily while flashing a peace sign]**_

_**AN: [chuckles in amusement at Ruby's antics] Just can't stay mad at that girl. Anyways, while this is a birthday present for Ruby, it also doubles as a kind of late five year anniversary present for yours truly. Yeah, that's right, it's been a little over five years since I started posting here on fanfiction, and what better way to help celebrate that fact by having this little number play onto the scene. A crossover idea that has the heroes of RWBY meeting the heroic champions that starred in one of my very first crossovers, and the stars of my first completed series! Blake, if you would be so kind as to make the big reveal?**_

_**Blake: I feel like Ruby should be the one to do it, since it's her birthday.**_

_**AN: I know, but we're kinda establishing a pattern here, in case you haven't noticed with the last two meetings, so...**_

_**Blake: Yeah, okay, I get it. Ahem...Today RWBY meets the Transformers!**_

_**AN: Yeah, you heard her! Roll it! Or as good old Optimus Prime would say...Roll out!**_

_**I do not own anything from any of the RWBY franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

**The Transformers**

In all honesty, Ruby probably should not have been too surprised that there was nothing all that exciting going on right now. At least nothing as exciting as the incident at the docks when she, Blake, Sun, and Penny stopped Torchwick and the White Fang from stealing a massive amount of Dust, or more accurately, when Penny stopped the White Fang from stealing said Dust. She was still trying to find the odd girl so she could ask Penny some questions about how she had done all those amazing things, but Ruby had not managed to find any sign of the odd girl since that night, or at any point throughout the entirety of their two weeks off from classes. Still, Ruby was not one to let anything get her down for long, and the proof was certainly in the pudding when she put together a massive list of things she and her team could do on their last day before classes started back. The epic food fight to end all food fights had not been part of the original plan, but there was no denying that it was a lot of fun, even if they did get a scolding from Professor Goodwitch as a result.

Now all that was left to do was figure out how to spend the rest of their day, but somehow, most of the original plans that Ruby came up with had started to seem like they paled in comparison to their face off with Team JNPR earlier, so she was left a little unsure on what to do. When she admitted this to the rest of her team, she was glad to see that they were all very understanding of the fact, but was also a little let down when they admitted to not having many ideas on what else they could do either. Even after brainstorming the entire way back to their room, the girls could not come up with any ideas, and they were just about ready to give up when one actually presented itself to them in the form of a familiar face. Or at least, a face that was familiar to Ruby and Yang.

"Dad," Yang exclaimed at the sight of hers and Ruby's father waiting for them outside their dorm room.

"Hey! There they are! My two all-star girls and Vale's future best huntresses," Taiyang Xiao Long cheered as he scooped up his daughters in the tightest hug he could manage.

"Yeah, hi Dad," Ruby groaned out as best as she could, suddenly reminded of where Yang got her tendency for bone-crushing hugs from. "Please let go. I can't breathe!"

"Aw c'mon, Ruby! Let a man hug his daughters for a few more minutes. I mean, it has been a while since I last saw you two," Taiyang protested.

"Dad! Seriously! Our friends are right there," Yang whined, hoping that informing her father that they had an audience would get him to stop before this got embarrassing for her and Ruby.

Turning to the other two members of Team RWBY, Taiyang immediately released his daughters and said, "Oh, sorry about that. I guess I got caught up in the moment."

"Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with missing your family," Blake excused, though she did look like she was miles away after seeing the family moment from just now.

Weiss was not much better than Blake, but her expression seemed to be decidedly much sadder until she straightened up into her usual stature. "All the same, it's a pleasure to meet you Mister…Uh, is it Xiao Long or Rose?"

"Xiao Long. Taiyang Xiao Long, but most people call me Tai," the Xiao Long patriarch filled in with a two-fingered salute.

"If you don't mind my asking, Mister Xiao Long, why is it that Ruby uses her mother's last name instead of yours," Blake questioned.

"Uh…That's a…That's a long story," Tai replied, looking rather nervous all of a sudden. It was washed away as quickly as it came though, as he turned to face his girls again. One of them, more so than the other. "But that can wait for another time. I was actually coming up here because I recently realized that I never got something for you as a congratulatory present for making it into Beacon like we did for Yang, Ruby."

"Dad, you didn't need to do that," Ruby tried to wave off, but when it came to giving praise to family, her dad was just like her sister, if not worse at times.

"Oh yes I did! And, since your sixteenth birthday is practically just around the corner, there was only one thing I could think of to get my little rose," Tai insisted. He then waved a hand for the girls to follow them, and the next thing they knew, Team RWBY was down in Beacon's parking garage where the students kept their personal methods of travel if they had them, like Yang's motorcycle. It was not until they came upon one particular vehicle thought that Taiyang finally stopped and presented his daughter's gift to her with a proud, "Ta-da!"

There, sitting in one of the many parking spots, was a rather dirty-looking, slightly beat-up, yellow Volkswagen bug, and while most of the girls were left a little bewildered by the sight of the vehicle, Ruby was gasping in wonder and excitement. "Dad, is this…Did you really…" Ruby stuttered before she finally managed to get out the question she was aiming for. "You got me my own car?!"

"Yep," Tai confirmed as he watched Ruby continue looking at the car with excitement dancing in her eyes. "Found it at one of the old, used car shops, and despite the way it looks, it does in fact run really well. Heck, it runs so good that I'd say that it was still new and made to look like something from a scrap yard. It does need some work on it though, to make sure it stays in one piece and keeps running as good as it does, and you're still going to need to at least have your sister with you if you want to go driving in it before you turn sixteen, but aside from that, it is all yours to do with as you please."

Hearing all of that from her father seemed to make Ruby's day, and she immediately raced over to get a closer look, already going over the vehicle and making notes of things she would need to fix up and/or adjust so that it would be safe to drive and look good as new. After watching Yang work on her motorcycle for so long, even to the point where she would go to get parts that Yang would need for the bike now and then, Ruby had picked up quite a few things about auto mechanics, and that was without the fact that there was very little difference between that and the work she had to do when she was building Crescent Rose. The other girls on the other hand were a bit more hesitant to approach the vehicle, thinking that it was likely to collapse at any second if too many people got close to it, but only Weiss was brave enough to voice her exact thought on Tai's gift to his youngest daughter.

"This thing looks like a piece of junk," the Schnee heiress said.

"Ha! If you think this looks bad, you should've seen Yang's motorcycle when she first got it," Tai shot back, none of them noticing how the headlights on the bug seemed to flicker a little after Weiss's comment.

"It's true. Bumblebee was a total wreck when I first got it, but a little elbow grease and some hard work later, and look at her now," Yang confirmed as she waved a hand in the direction of said bike, taking a little pride in how she had left both Blake and Weiss more than a little astonished, judging by the looks on the two girls' faces. The blonde then turned to her sister's car and added, "And I'm sure that we can get this thing turned into a gold bug before you know it with the same kind of effort."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed as she petted the hood of the car. "Don't you worry little bug. We'll have you good as new in no time."

As she was petting the car, the radio suddenly sprang to life and began playing the chorus of the song "Friends Are Family" through its speakers, startling everyone a little. After a minute though, Yang could not help but smirk and say, "Wow, either that's one crazy coincidence, or someone set that up perfectly."

"Don't look at me. I didn't set anything up, so I'm afraid that was just a random coincidence," Tai insisted.

"Well, it's better than hearing the annoying beeping of a car alarm going off at the slightest touch," Blake lightly joked with a shrug. "But we probably should try to make sure that it doesn't happen too much, just to be safe."

Seeing as everyone agreed with her on that, and that no one had many better ideas, the girls spent the rest of that day working on Ruby's "new" car, with Taiyang helping out as much as he could before he had to fly back to Patch again. As they were working, Ruby could not help but take notice of an odd symbol on the car's doors, and on the middle of the steering wheel. The best way to describe it would be to say that it looked like a face with a kind, peaceful expression, but more than that, there was something relaxing about the emblem in Ruby's eyes, and at the same time, oddly familiar, like she had seen it somewhere before. Unfortunately, she could not quite place where that might have been, so she just shrugged it off and focused on helping her sister and teammates with their little project. It was not like it was all that important anyway; for all Ruby knew, it was probably just the logo of whatever company made the car, so why worry about it?

* * *

Not even that much later into their second semester, and Team RWBY was on a mission of their own: investigating Torchwick and the White Fang in an effort to bring down both them and whoever they were working for in a shared conspiracy against the Kingdom of Vale, and if you were to ask Ruby, it was going pretty well. Sure, she may have gotten a little sidetracked after a surprise run-in with Penny, during which she learned that Penny was a robot, and sure, they may have eventually ended up in another fight with Roman Torchwick that saw him piloting a stolen Atlesian mech suit, but it could still be worse. At least they were fighting it together, and it was not like Roman was going to be getting any kind of last minute assistance from anyone any time soon. The very moment Ruby had thought that to herself was the moment when the universe decided that she had jinxed her and her teammates, because Roman did end up getting some unexpected backup, and it was certainly not the kind that any of them were expecting.

Ruby and Weiss had taken notice a little while earlier that they were being followed by a pair of black and dark purple cars, but they had waved it off as just a mere coincidence that the vehicles were going down the same route as them. When those same cars suddenly raced into the middle of their battleground, however, it became clear that was not the case. That was not the most surprising part though. No, that honored belonged to the fact that just after they appeared, both cars suddenly changed into massive, mean looking robots that seemed just as big, if not bigger than the Atlas mech that Torchwick was driving. Both the young huntresses and their foe were left frozen in shock at the sight of this new development, so much so that Team RWBY almost ended up flattened when the robots suddenly lunged at them in an attack.

"Did not see this coming," Roman could be heard muttering through the speakers of his mech, ultimately drawing the robots' attention to him. The next thing anyone knew, the robots had opened fire on the mech, making Torchwick scramble for the emergency eject in order to avoid getting blown to bits with the machine. He only just barely escaped with his life, thanks in no small part to one of his most loyal henchmen, but he had no intention of letting on as to how freaked out he was by this whole thing. "Ladies. Ice Queen," Torchwick bade in farewell.

"Hey!" Weiss snapped, knowing that last one was directed at her.

"I'm afraid that this is where we part ways," Torchwick finished before turning to his rescuer. "Neo, if you would."

The next thing anyone knew, Torchwick and his small companion had vanished in a flash of light that was accompanied with what sounded and looked like shattering glass. Not that Team RWBY had time to really think about it too much, as the massive robots were still coming after them, and they had to do a lot to stay away from their attacks. Not the easiest thing to do when your opponents can turn their arms into laser blasters, but that was not what scared the girls most. What really scared them was when they realized that the robots were targeting Ruby more than anyone else for some reason, and it seemed like they were barely able to do much of anything to keep them away from their young leader. Yang was blasting the massive machines with her gauntlets, Weiss was blasting them with every kind of Dust she had on hand, and Blake was trying to tie them up in her ribbons while slashing at them with both of her blades, but no matter what any of them tried, they just could not seem to faze these mechanical monsters.

Eventually, Ruby ended up tripping over out of exhaustion, having been forced to use her Semblance so she could stay clear of these things, and then next thing she knew, one of the robots was standing over her with weapons ready and pointed right at her. At any other time, Ruby probably would be gazing in awe at the massive laser canons that these things had, but considering that they were about to be used to kill her, all the excitement was made nonexistent. Just when she was starting to brace herself for the incoming blast, the sound of an engine roaring along with a horn being blared as loudly as possible reached her ears, and she could not help but turn towards the source with the two robots to find a very surprising sight.

There, racing towards them, was the beat up bug that her father had given her as her first car, and to make matters even more surprising, the little yellow car actually started changing much like these other two robots had, until it had become a robot as well. A robot that tackled Ruby's attackers away from her, and then tossed them further back after they had rolled along the ground for a brief time, much to Ruby and her teammates' shock. When the robot that had once been Ruby's car stood up straight again, it raised both fists up to show that it was ready for a fight, while glaring at the two mean looking robots with bright blue optics.

Seeing that their surprise attackers had been cowed into a pause for their attack, the rest of Team RWBY quickly made their way over to their leader, with only Blake being able to say anything right now. "Ruby, is that…your car," the cat Faunus questioned, not really able to think of anything else to say right now.

"I'm now insanely jealous," Yang joked.

Before Ruby or Weiss could get on Yang for joking at a time like this, they all picked up on the sound a radio buzzing, and realized that it was coming from the yellow robot that had once been Ruby's car right when it seemed to speak using recordings of two different voices, the first one being that of a young woman's, while the other sounded like a very gruff man's. _"Leave them alone…Decepticon punks!"_

At that point, an all-out battle royale had commenced between the three massive machines, with the first two robots doing their best to destroy the yellow robot that had just saved the girls' lives, but the Beacon students were all bit preoccupied with trying to place the voices that they had heard coming through the yellow robot's radio. At least, Weiss and Blake were, despite the fact that the voices were completely unfamiliar to the two of them, but as for Ruby and Yang, they had both adopted looks that would make you think that they had just seen a ghost. When Blake noticed this, she had a feeling that something was wrong, and was quick to check on her partner so she could make sure that she was alright. "Yang," Blake called out as she tapped the blonde's shoulder, only to get very little response from her. "What is it?"

"Ruby, why are you looking at that thing like that," Weiss questioned, having noticed her own partner's state as well.

"It…It can't be," Yang eventually muttered, her voice far from any state of being even.

Ruby was not much better off, but unlike her sister, she was better able to explain why she and her sister were so surprised with just one sentence that left Blake and Weiss almost just as shocked. "Th-that…That's my…That was my mom's voice."

When they heard Ruby say that, the sisters' shock quickly became understandable. Weiss and Blake may not have known too much about their respective partners, but they did at least know that their mother had been a huntress who had died on a mission when they were younger. Hearing the voice of a loved one again from one of the strangest places imaginable would be quite the shock for anyone, but in this case, neither the black nor white members of Team RWBY were sure who between the two sisters was finding this harder to believe. If they were betting girls though, they would have to put their money on Ruby, because it was even less of a secret that her mother was one of Ruby's greatest inspirations as a huntress. Add that in with the surprise of her car apparently being able to turn into a giant robot, or a giant robot that could turn into a car, and all three of the other girls were surprised that Ruby was still able to think straight at all right now.

Speaking of said robot, their yellow savior had just blasted apart one of the mean-looking machines that it had called Decepticons, and had now turned its hand into some kind of energy dagger of some kind as it lunged at the remaining enemy. As it charged, the robot seemed to use its radio to loudly shout, _"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!"_ When the dagger made contact, the Decepticon froze up in some kind of electrical field, like it had suffered from a total system shut down all of a sudden, and that was all that the yellow robot needed to draw its blaster again and fire a single shot right through the frozen robot's head. Seeing his opponent down, the robot spun its blaster around in its fingers like an action hero from a movie would, while the radio played out a recording that said, _"And that's the match! Flawless victory!"_

The girls could not really do anything more than stare at this strange machine, and apparently, it felt their stares on it, because upon holstering its weapons again, the robot slowly turned to them with a concerned look on its face, and then waved to them in a manner that seemed almost shy. Seeing him act like that was what brought Ruby back to the here and now, and she slowly started making her way forward, keeping a good hold on her scythe as she approached, just in case. This seemed like a bad idea, as the robot immediately flinched away when it saw that she was still armed, so Ruby quickly folded up stowed Crescent Rose into its holster to show she meant no harm. "Easy," Ruby soothed as gently as she could. "I don't want to hurt you, assuming you don't want to hurt any of us. Do you?"

The robot just shook its head in the negative and that got the girls to relax a little bit more as they followed Ruby's lead in storing their own weapons away. Still, that did not keep them from scrutinizing the big machine that acted more like a human being than a robot. "Where did you come from? Atlas? Vacuo," Weiss asked.

_"Ha! You wish sister,"_ the robot replied through his radio once again.

All of the girls seemed like they were starting to get annoyed by this, but only Blake ended up being the one to ask, "Can't you talk like a normal person? Assuming you can talk at all."

The robot's face then seemed to turn a lot sadder at the question, as it shook its head no again, before letting its radio play various different recordings. _"Latest in all audio entertainment…Bringing you all the latest updates…Tune in at anytime, anywhere."_

The girls were a bit more confused by that, since none of it really seemed to make sense or flow together like some the last few things did, but Yang managed to catch on to what he was saying. "You can't use your normal voice, so you talk through the radio?"

In answer to Yang's guess, the robot used its radio to play the sound of a loud, audience applause, while it clapped its hands to confirm that Yang was right, much to the girls' amusement. "So then, if you're not from any of the kingdoms, where are you from," Ruby then asked.

_"Planet Cybertron,"_ the robot replied through its radio, this time using the recording of a deep, brave-sounding voice that all the girls could not help but think was suited for a great hero, even if the answer was shocking.

"You're…You're an alien," Ruby gasped in awe, earning her a simple nod from the big guy. As shocking as that was, Ruby was still able to compose herself after a moment or two and ask another question that they probably should have asked a little bit sooner. "So…what do we call you? Do you have a name or some kind of number?"

This time, the robot responded using multiple recordings, and though there was a slight pause in between some of the words, and most of the voices did not match up the entire time, it did still form a complete sentence for them. _"My name…is…Bumblebee."_

"Oh! No foolin'," Yang grinned happily. "That's what I call my motorcycle, and what one of our team attacks is called."

Blake and Ruby could not help but snicker a bit at Yang's excitement over that little detail, but Weiss on the other hand was a lot less amused, mainly because she was concerned with another matter entirely. "If you really are an alien, what are you doing here, and why were those things after us just now?"

Bumblebee was silent at that question for a minute, before he finally said, _"It's a long story…But…the short version is…they were here because…Cybertron is lost…And our war…has now come to this world."_

"War," Blake gasped in disbelief. Like they did not have enough to deal with just by investigating Torchwick and the White Fang; now they were apparently getting dragged into an alien war of some kind.

_"Yeah, you heard me,"_ Bumblebee replied with a recording of a gangster-sounding voice. _"But…The Decepticons…were not after you…They were only targeting…her."_

The other members of Team RWBY had already figured out that these Decepticons were interested in one of them more than any other, but hearing Bumblebee confirm that the person he indicated was their primary target was still very shocking. For none more so than the person he was pointing to herself. "Me," Ruby questioned. "But why?"

_"Because you…are…Summer's daughter,"_ Bumblebee replied, surprising Yang and Ruby when they heard that.

"Did…Did you just say…" Yang stuttered in surprise.

"You knew my mother," Ruby asked.

_"Correction: I _know_ your…mother,"_ Bumblebee replied. _"Summer Rose…is…my first…human…friend."_

Hearing him say that brought Ruby and Yang's spirits down quite a bit, as they figured that this must mean that Bumblebee had not heard about what had happened to Summer Rose. They did not want to be the ones to give him the bad news, especially given what he just told them regarding his relationship to their mom, but if they figured that it was probably better to hear it from them rather than someone else. "We hate to tell you this, Bumblebee, but…" Yang started to say, only to feel herself getting choked up a little before she could finish.

"She died on a mission. A long time ago," Ruby finished for her sister.

Bumblebee looked between the sisters for a minute, as if trying to gauge how serious they were about this, and if it were possible for him to cry, the girls were all sure that he was going to at any second now. Much to their surprise, his reaction was very different, because instead, he answered with just one word, and it was through a recording of Summer Rose's voice. _"Nope."_

"What," Ruby asked, feeling a little weird to be on the receiving end of something she had said to Jaune not that long ago.

_"Nope,"_ Bumblebee repeated with the same recording. _"Summer…is…alive."_

Neither sister could believe what they were hearing, and though they did not know as much about Ruby and Yang's parents, Weiss and Blake were almost just as shocked. Yang's surprise was quickly traded out for anger, as she growled, "That's not funny."

_"Not trying to be,"_ Bumblebee replied. _"It's all the honest truth."_

"How would you know?! You weren't there," Yang snapped, her eyes already turning red to show just how angry she was getting.

_"Actually…I was,"_ Bumblebee replied through two sets of recordings, surprising all the girls. They then heard his radio whirring around a lot; almost as if he was looking for some specific recording, until finally, he came to a stop on the one he was looking for. This time around though, it was clear he was not using it to talk, but rather, to relay a memory from some time in the past, and despite the fact that they did not recognize all the voices, there was only one voice that mattered to Ruby and Yang, and they identified it very easily.

_"Do you realize how lucky you were to get away alive at all, let alone in the condition you're in. Aura or not, the injuries you suffered could have been incredibly fatal to the point where they had ended you for good had it not been for Bumblebee's last minute intervention,"_ a gruff, older sounding voice asked, making them think that it belonged to a doctor with the way he talked.

_"Believe me, I get doing whatever it takes to get a job done, Summer, but those were odds that even the Wreckers or Grimlock's team wouldn't want to take on,"_ another voice reasoned, this one sounding like it belonged to a very big individual that was likely a strong warrior.

_"Now let's not get too ahead of ourselves,"_ another voice cautioned with a faint hint of a growl in his voice.

_"Be that as it may, there is no doubt that the Decepticons consider you a target now more than ever, Summer Rose, which puts you in grave danger,"_ the deep, brave-sounding voice from before then played out, this time with a hint of respectful command in his tone, but it was the next voice that spoke up that got the sisters' attention.

_"I'd hate to keep bringing this up, Optimus, but danger's part of the job when you're a huntress,"_ Summer Rose's voice replied, much to Ruby and Yang's surprise. She sounded weak, but not to the point where she was likely on her deathbed, so they were quick to start paying even closer attention to what she said in this recording. _"Although, I have to admit, you might have a point. Aside from the Decepticons, those other people that attacked were definitely targeting me because they knew of what I could do, which means that they likely know the kind of threat I pose to their leader, so maybe…Maybe it's time to consider taking some drastic measures."_

_"Hey, now. Let's not go crazy here,"_ cautioned a voice that sounded like it was coming from over a radio, and they had a good hunch as to who that was.

_"I don't exactly have many other options, Bumblebee,"_ Summer replied. _"If I leave now, I'll be putting a lot of people in unnecessary danger, especially in the case of the people I care about most. Besides, you guys could use a lot of help when it comes to blending in on Remnant if you want to maintain your whole robots in disguise thing for as long as possible, so why not take me on as a new member for your crew?"_

_"You must realize, Summer, that doing what you are suggesting would mean that you may likely never see your loved ones again,"_ the voice that Summer had called Optimus cautioned.

_"…I know,"_ Summer hesitantly replied. _"But if I want my family and my world to be kept safe from the things that I've seen…it may be for the best."_ There was another pause in the recording before Summer could be heard speaking again, this time to another woman. _"Raven, I know this is probably asking for a lot, but I need you to do me a huge favor."_

Hearing that name alone drew a quiet, surprised gasp from Yang, and despite the fact her next one was not as quiet, the others were still too wrapped up in the recording to take notice. _"If you were anyone else, I'd more than likely say no,"_ replied the woman that Summer identified as Raven. _"What is it, Sum?"_

_"Go to Ozpin and the others, and tell them that you saw me die in the field. You can spin it around however you want, whether it be succumbing to injuries after slaying hundreds of Grimm, being overrun by the monsters, or even as much of the truth as possible, so long as you make sure that it ends the same way: that Summer Rose is dead. The only one who should know the truth about what's happened is Ozpin, understand,"_ Summer ordered, though it almost sounded like she was pleading with Raven as she gave that order.

The recording was silent again, indicating that Raven must have been mulling the request over, until she finally said, _"Like I said, if you were anyone else, I'd more than likely say no, but for you, Summer, I guess I can try to stomach going back to Ozpin for this."_

_"Hey, while you're at it, maybe you could consider stopping to say hi to Yang and Tai,"_ Summer added on, and no one missed how much she sounded like Ruby when she was trying to get someone to do something for her.

A short snort of laughter could be heard from Raven before she replied, _"Now you're pushing it…But I suppose I could at least stop in to have a look at how they're doing."_

_"I'll take that,"_ Summer accepted. The girls all thought that was the end of the recording, but apparently, Summer still had one last request to make, and this one was directed at the robot standing in front of them. _"Bee, there's one thing that I want you to do for me in exchange for all of this. I know that I probably shouldn't be asking too many favors of you guys, or making you feel like any of us owe one another…"_

_"Whatever it is you wish to ask of any of us, we will do everything in our power to help, Summer. We owe you that much at the very least for what you have done for us thus far, and what you are about to do for us now,"_ Optimus's voice stated.

The next thing that the girls heard almost brought them to tears with how touching it was. _"Alright then. Bee, please, promise me that you'll look after my girls, and keep them safe. They're both brave and strong in their own rights, and I'm sure that they're going to choose to become huntresses like my team and I, but they're still really young, and they have no idea what kind of things will be waiting out there for them. More importantly, my youngest daughter, Ruby…she's special, like me, and I'm afraid that people may come after her for the same reason that those people from a moment ago came after me. Please Bumblebee, do whatever you can to keep my little rose and my sunny little dragon safe."_

_"You do remember that you're not biologically related to the older child, don't you,"_ the gruff-sounding doctor questioned, drawing a surprise gasp from Ruby, Weiss, and Blake afterwards. Yang could not bring herself to face Ruby at that point, since she had known for a while that she and Ruby were only half sisters. She had meant to tell her younger sister, but it was not like there was an easy way to bring up that topic with a girl like Ruby. Thankfully, the next thing that Summer said was a good enough distraction for the moment.

_"I don't care about that. Yang's just as much my daughter as Ruby is, and I will do whatever I can to keep them safe. That's all the more reason why I need to ask this of you, Bee. Please…please keep my little girls safe,"_ Summer could be heard pleading.

_"You have my word…I swear by the spark of Primus,"_ two different voice recordings said in reply, indicating that Bumblebee had accepted his new mission.

The next sound that followed could only have been crying, and they could hear a very tearful Summer saying, _"Thank you, Bumblebee."_

That was the moment when Bumblebee's recording finally ended, and even with the stunning revelation that they had gotten near the end, Ruby was still smiling a little as she let some happy tears fall from her eyes. She did not care whether or not if that recording was recent or accurate, or if Bumblebee's claim about her mother still being alive even after all this time was still true; she was just happy that she got to hear her mother's voice again and that she had chosen to disappear to keep her and her sister safe. Sure, she was a little stunned by the revelation that she and Yang were not full-fledged sisters, but that did not make a bit of difference in Ruby's eyes, and from the way that she allowed Yang to wrap an arm around her in a side-hug, it certainly showed that the feeling was very mutual.

Seeing the sisterly moment that was being shared, along with just how happy Ruby seemed to be brought bright smiles to Weiss and Blake's faces too, right to the point where they were sure that they were likely to let a few happy tears fall as well. That whole thing had to have been hard to listen to at some points, but that speech at the end was definitely one of the most heartfelt things that they had ever heard. It was not just the words though, as even through a recording, they could feel every ounce of emotion and love that Summer held for her daughters. A part of them actually felt a little envious for Ruby right now, getting to hear such a caring thing from her mother like that, but at this moment, any envy was squashed down deep into the backs of their minds to be forgotten about before it could begin to manifest even a little bit.

When all the emotion of the moment had finally passed, Ruby turned back to Bumblebee, who looked to be smiling down at them a little bit, happy that he was able to give them such a gift, but there was still at least one more thing that he could do for Ruby right now. "Can you take me to her," Ruby requested, much to Bumblebee's surprise. "I don't want to get you in trouble or anything, but…I just…I need to see her for myself."

"And it would probably make learning about you and your kind a little easier for us if we heard it from someone that didn't speak through a car radio," Blake added on. "No offense."

_"None taken, darlin',"_ Bumblebee replied with a smile, and if that was not an indication of how little convincing he needed to fulfill their request, the way that he quickly changed back into the old looking bug and held open one of his doors for them to climb inside certainly did.

Unlike the rest of her teammates, who were all immediately beginning to get ready and climb into the transforming robot's car mode, Weiss remained where she was, a curious look on her face as she asked, "You know, if you really are an advanced, alien robot, why do you choose to change into such an old, rundown car like this?"

Bumblebee's door instantly slammed closed at that, and the girls barely heard the next thing he said through the radio before he raced off as fast as possible. "Oh, nice going, Ice Queen! Now you made him mad," Yang scolded.

"How was I supposed to know he would take offense to that," Weiss questioned. "I was just curious if he could turn into anything else!"

"You probably could have phrased it a little better though," Blake informed the heiress almost right after that.

Ruby was about to add her own two cents to the matter, when they all heard a car horn blaring at them, and they turned to see a very surprising sight. Pulling up to them was a very nice-looking sports car, one of the latest models if they had to guess, sporting the same color scheme as Bumblebee, only with the addition of some black racing stripes, and blue lining on the wheel spokes, while the paint of the car itself was all shinny and new, like it had just come fresh off the assembly line. When the car pulled to a stop, the girls were a little cautious, until they heard the familiar sound of a radio spinning between channels, before ultimately coming to a stop on one or two different phrases. _"Hey ladies…Check this out…Like what you see,"_ Bumblebee asked through his radio.

The girls could only stare in disbelief and awe, unable to really say much of anything, until Ruby finally whispered, "…What?!"

"Now _that_ is what I call a sweet ride," Yang complimented with a grin. "I'll bet your going to get all the ladies no problem looking like that, Bumblebee."

If the alien robot could laugh or blush right now, or at all, the girls were sure that Yang's compliment would definitely have drawn just such a response. Given that his engine seemed to purr a little more than usual for a car, they had to figure that he was doing one or both of those things, but they decided to leave it alone for now. They had something that was far more important to attend to at the moment, so they all quickly climbed in, liking the feel of the comfy seats that Bumblebee's new car mode sported, along with how smoothly he moved along the road when he rocketed forward again at his new top speed.

* * *

A few hours later, the girls found themselves well outside the kingdom with little ideas on where Bumblebee was taking them, but given that they had not seen any Grimm so far, they figured that he knew where he was going, or at the very least, how to avoid the soulless abominations, so that did help to relax them a little bit. Still, they would have liked to have been given a bit more of a clue on where they were going, but all Bumblebee had said when they asked was that they were heading for his home. Eventually, they came to see a large mountain, which Weiss quickly realized was a dormant volcano, but they were a little more worried that Bumblebee did not seem like he was going to slow down as he drew closer and closer to the side of the mountain.

"Uh Bumblebee? You are going to stop right," Ruby asked, but only received silence in answer. "Bumblebee, we're getting really close to that mountain. You should probably consider stopping. Bumblebee?! BUMBLEBEE!"

The girls all ducked their heads when Ruby let out that last scream, shutting their eyes tight in anticipation of the end, but much to their surprise, it never came. The only thing that they heard was an odd sound that made them think they had passed through something, but they were still afraid to look and see what it could have been. Eventually, Ruby found the courage to open her eyes again, and ended up gasping at the sight before her. "Whoa! You guys have gotta see this," Ruby informed her team.

Following their leader's advice, the other girls all looked to see that they had apparently passed through the mountain side, indicating that it was just some kind of camouflage, and hidden behind that camouflage was what looked to be a ship that was bigger than any vessel that any of them had ever seen in their lives. Sure, it seemed like it was wedged into the mountain side, but it was still very impressive how it looked to be so well intact despite the obvious signs of having crash-landed. The only thing that actually scared the girls was the fact that they were only looking at one part of the ship from the outside.

Their state of awe held up so well that when Bumblebee finally came to a stop and allowed them to climb out, they did so a bit more robotically, not registering that Bumblebee was doing anything else until after he had transformed again and started working his radio around so that he could introduce them to their location. _"Ladies…Welcome to…The _Ark_,"_ Bumblebee declared with a proud wave of his hand.

None of the girls got the chance to comment on this massive vessel, because someone else had just joined their little party. "Bumblebee? Is that you," a female voice question, prompting everyone to turn to the speaker.

This new arrival definitely looked as female as her voice did, and was about the same size as Bumblebee, but that was where the similarities between them ended. Unlike Bumblebee, the girls could not see any sure signs of what kind of vehicle she turned into, and she sported a red and black paint job on her armor, with some blue highlights here and there. Her face was colored white with red lining around her eyes and mouth, almost like eye shadow or a similar type of makeup, while atop her head was a set of black fins that was styled in a way that almost seemed similar to hair adorned with gold accessories. It was hard for Team RWBY to really get a read on this lady robot, aside from the fact that she seemed surprised to see their rescuer and chauffer, but Bumblebee had no problem recognizing her.

_"BESTIE,"_ Bumblebee's radio blared loudly as he raced over and scooped the lady robot in a tight hug, much to her amusement.

"Easy there, Bee. I'm glad to see you too, but try not to put anymore dents in me than the 'Cons already have," the lady robot chuckled. When the two released each other, she then asked, "What're you doing here though? I thought you were on an important mission." Instead of answering with his radio, the girls then listened as Bumblebee let out a series of beeps and whirs that almost sounded like Morse Code in an odd way. "I see. Tell me you gave those 'Cons a good thrashing for picking on kids like that," the lady robot requested, having apparently been able to understand all of that. Bumblebee's reply was another series of beeps and whirs, and it drew a grin from the lady robot. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like the Autobots' best and bravest scout alright. Nice to know you haven't lost your touch, Bee."

"Um, excuse me, but what just happened? I thought Bumblebee only talked through his radio. What was all of that just now," Yang interrupted.

"Cybertronian silent speak. It's a special kind of language that's commonly used among all 'Bots whose voice boxes were damaged in one way or another. Bumblebee really only uses his radio to talk when he's addressing someone who can't understand it or when he's talking to a larger group," the lady robot explained. She then drew a little closer to the girls, looked them over until her optics rested on Ruby, and said, "So judging by the silver eyes and that cloak, I'm guessing you're Ruby Rose, right?"

"Uh-um…Yes," Ruby nervously replied.

Her nervousness seemed to be either amusing or charming to the lady robot, as she chuckled a bit before saying, "Relax, I don't bite. I'm one of the good guys like Bumblebee, after all."

"Sooo…I'm guessing you and Bumblebee are close," Blake guessed.

"Best friends since before the war, actually," the lady robot confirmed. "Oh, but where are my manners? My name's Windblade."

"Nice to meet you, Windblade. I'm Weiss," the heiress of the group replied with a bow.

"Blake."

"I'm Yang, and you've obviously already figured out my little sister's name."

"Pleasure's all mine," Windblade nodded to the girls. "But I'm guessing you all would rather meet a few other individuals than just stand around outside our door."

_"You've guessed correctly,"_ Bumblebee informed his friend on the girls' behalf, this time using the recording of what sounded like a random game show host, and with that, they all began making their way into and through the massive spaceship.

As they walked through the ship, they continued to chat with Windblade, and learned that she was not part of the _Ark_'s original crew. Instead, she had remained on Cybertron along with a good majority of the other Autobots so that they could hold and even retake some bit of ground against the Decepticons who had also remained behind, but when Optimus and his team failed to return after so long, she was sent along with a handful of others to try and help the Autobots of the _Ark_ in their mission. The idea was that having a few extra hands would help speed things up for the team here on Remnant, but it was hard for anyone to really tell if it had worked.

Another thing to note in their journey through the massive ship was that they ended up one of the Autobots whose voice they had heard in Bumblebee's recording as well; a really big, army green 'Bot named Bulkhead. Despite his size, Bulkhead came off as a very gentle soul with a big heart, at least until Yang asked him how many Decepticons he had taken down on his own. His response was to slam a fist into his open palm and say, "There was this one time when I took down an entire platoon of sixteen 'Cons with nothing more than my bare servos."

"Still not as impressive as Grimlock's record, big guy," Windblade teasingly pointed out, despite how Yang thought it was really cool.

Eventually, they all finally reached their destination: the ship's bridge, which had obviously been repurposed to be used as a central command center and it was there that they came face-to-face with more Autobots than ever. Among them was another female Autobot with pink and white armor, a white and red, older looking 'Bot who wore a medical sign on some parts of his armor, indicating he was most likely the medic of the unit, a particularly big 'Bot that wore grey and gold armor and had some animalistic-looking features on his body, and finally, a red and blue 'Bot that, while not quite the biggest of the bunch, still seemed to command the most presence out of everyone in the room, indicating that he was more than likely the leader. From the sound of what they were all saying though, the girls got the impression that they came in at a bad time.

"We know where they're currently hiding; we may never get another chance like this again. I say we go out there, attack in full force, and not stop until we've brought back Megatron's head on a platter," the large 'Bot with animalistic features to his armor growled; his voice being another one that the girls recognized from Bee's recording.

"No Grimlock. Even if it is a relatively remote location, the Decepticons are still located too close to a human settlement for us to safely engage them without giving ourselves away," the red and blue leader denied, his voice confirming that he was the one that the girls had heard being called Optimus. "As good as their ship's cloaking systems are, it is not impervious to damage, nor is it able to prevent us from being seen at all."

"But we could end this whole war right now, and then locate the AllSpark without having to worry about our enemies finding it first," Grimlock protested.

"And how many Autobots do you think we'll lose in such an assault," questioned the old Autobot with the medical signs on his body, his voice being another one from the recording. "We don't have the energon to mount an attack like that, never mind treating the injuries that our soldiers are likely to sustain even if we do succeed. Engaging them right now would be akin to suicide. At best, it could land some of our troops in another scenario similar to the one that led to you and your team being remade into the Dinobots, and there's a good chance that none of them would make it back this time around."

Grimlock merely growled, clearly upset at that reminder, but it did seem to calm him down a little bit. It looked like the female 'Bot of the group was going to say something, when her optics turned to when they were, and she immediately smiled. "I think we may have to put this on hold, gentlemen. Our brave scout has just made a triumphant return," she commented.

Everyone immediately turned to where Team RWBY and their guides were, and when he saw that he had the room's attention, Bumblebee tapped into his radio to say, _"Honey, I'm home!"_

"Welcome back, Bee. It's been way too long," the female 'Bot stated.

"Arcee is correct, old friend. We have all missed you a great deal," Optimus stated as he stepped forward, identifying the female 'Bot for the girls. Speaking of which, they were all quickly noticed by the Autobot leader, as soon as he was close enough, and he then added, "And it would seem that your mission had a few complications."

_"That's one way to put it,"_ Bumblebee replied. _"The Decepticons attacked…and…I was…forced…to break cover."_

"I see," Optimus nodded in understanding. He then knelt down so that he was a little closer to face-level with the girls, and looked to the leader of their team when he next spoke. "Are you Ruby Rose, daughter of Summer Rose?"

"Y-yes sir," Ruby replied, a little nervous at first, as something about standing near this Autobot just seemed to command respect. "And from the recording that Bumblebee played for us a little while ago, I'm guessing that you're Optimus?"

"Indeed. I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots," Optimus confirmed before he waved to the other 'Bots that were in the room. "This is one of our bravest soldiers, Arcee, our medical specialist, Ratchet, and one of our strongest warriors and the leader of the Dinobots, Grimlock. I'm sure you've already been well acquainted with Windblade, Bulkhead, and your guardian, Bumblebee."

"Yeah, his whole moment of racing in to save us from those Decepticons definitely left a good first impression," Yang quipped as best as she could, drawing attention to her. "Oh, I'm Yang, by the way. Ruby's older sister."

"Half-sister would probably be more accurate," Ratchet disputed from where he was.

"Yeah, thanks for dropping that little bombshell, by the way," Yang retorted, giving the doctor an even look.

When Ratchet saw the look and took notice of how awkward things seemed to suddenly become between the two sisters, he had the decency to look apologetic and quickly tried to apologize for speaking without thinking, but the others waved him off quickly enough so that they could get through the other introductions. "I'm Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company and Ruby's partner."

"And I'm Blake. Blake Belladonna," the cat Faunus finished.

"Belladonna," Grimlock repeated before casting a side glance to Arcee. "Isn't that the name of…"

"Shh," Arcee quickly hushed, not wanting to risk spilling anymore secrets between the girls than Ratchet already had, just in case.

"I take it that since you are here, you are all curious about us," Optimus guessed.

"Among other things," Ruby confirmed. "But we would like to know why you are here as a start."

"To protect your world from Megatron and his forces, the Decepticons, and ensure that Remnant does not suffer the same fate as Cybertron had in our long war," Optimus replied. He then waved to one of the large screens that were on the bridge, which began displaying a few images to better help with his explanation as he continued with a basic summary of their story. "For many ages, the Autobots and Decepticons have been at war with each other, fighting for various reasons, but the chief amongst them was a clash of ideals and control of our world's supply of energon."

"What's energon," Blake asked.

"It is our lifeblood, our fuel, our ammunition, and many other things," Optimus simplified as best as he could. "No Transformer can survive without it, and unfortunately, all the fighting between the two sides had resulted in Cybertron being forced to shut down most of its ability to produce anymore."

"So why can't you guys just try and work something out? Maybe find a way so that you can all share it with each other," Ruby asked.

"It's not as simple as that. Megatron and his forces have goals that span far beyond controlling the energon of our world. Megatron believes that the only way to restore Cybertron to the paradise it had once been even before the war is through tyranny and conquest. As such, Megatron will not rest until he has secured rule over Cybertron and the rest of the known universe, and he will not hesitate to destroy anyone or anything that dares to oppose him," Optimus explained as gently as he could. He then started to look a little more somber as he quietly added, "Even if those people were once close to him in some manner or another."

"So why come to Remnant? I highly doubt that you would find any of this energon here," Weiss reasoned.

"You'd be surprised just how much energon is actually buried beneath your planet's surface," Ratchet disputed. "Ages ago, even before our war, ancient Cybertronians had scattered special pockets of energon in preparation for a day when Cybertron could no longer produce the substance, or if there ever came a day when the planet was overpopulated and needed to expand outwards to other worlds. Those pockets grew over time, and allowed various worlds to become rich with life and energy in various forms. Even your Dust crystals hold some similarities to energon, and if refined correctly could be used to create a small supply of energon cubes."

"More than that, we believe that the AllSpark is hidden somewhere on your world," Optimus revealed.

"The what," Yang asked.

"The AllSpark. An ancient and powerful artifact that grants new life to all Transformers, and which provided Cybertron with most of its power and ability to produce energon. The Decepticons had once tried to seize it for themselves so that they could ensure that all future generations of Transformers would be born Decepticons," Windblade explained.

"We were able to secure the AllSpark before that could happen, but in order to prevent any further risk of this from happening, I was forced to send the AllSpark off of Cybertron, and out into the vast reaches of space. Now, we must locate it, or Cybertron may be forever lost to us all," Optimus explained.

Hearing that an entire world was likely to perish if the Autobots failed in their mission was one thing, but given all that Optimus had just told them, the girls had gotten the impression that their world was in just as much danger as Cybertron. It did not matter what school they were from, what kingdom they lived in, or what country they were from; the Decepticons would not let anything stop them from getting what they wanted, and this Megatron sounded even worse. So, after hearing all of this, none of them were surprised with Ruby's next question for Optimus, nor did any of them object to it.

"What can we do to help," the young scythe wielder asked.

Hearing that question made the Autobots all pause for a moment of silence, until Optimus said, "I appreciate what you are offering, Ruby, but this matter is not something you and your friends should concern yourselves with."

"Some of those Decepticons you're fighting just attacked us because Ruby's mom worked with you guys in the past, and there may even be a chance that they're working with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick, or whoever it is that he's working for. I'd say that we have plenty of reason to be concerned," Blake protested.

"I agree, and besides, from what you've told us, these Decepticons won't care about what happens to our world so long as they get what they want, even if they weren't involved with those ne'er-do-wells," Weiss argued along with Blake.

"Uh…who," Ruby questioned. She was no more aware of what ne'er-do-well meant than she was the last time Weiss used the term.

"It just wouldn't be right for us to ignore all of this when we know there's something we can do to help," Weiss finished.

"Yeah, Ice Queen's got the right idea," Yang nodded.

"Hey!"

"Besides, I wanna fight me some evil alien robots!"

Hearing that last comment from the blonde, made Grimlock let out an impressed sounding huff and say, "I like that one."

"You would," Ratchet grumbled.

Optimus on the other hand, could only smile down at Ruby when he saw a familiar sense of determination and courage in her eyes, and eventually said, "I believe that your people having a saying that states like mother, like daughter."

Hearing Optimus mention her mom reminded Ruby of the other reason why they were here, and she lost a lot of her courage and determination in an instant. No longer did she look like a brave, selfless huntress determined to save the world from any and all evil; now, she just looked like a scared girl who was afraid of the answer to one burning question. "Is…Is she here," Ruby just barely managed to stutter out. "My mom, I mean. Bumblebee said that she was still…and I want to believe him, but…"

Hearing the girl's question brought a gentle smile to all the Autobots' faces, and Optimus happily answered, "Your mother has been helping us in our fight for many years now, Ruby Rose, and she is in fact here at the base even now."

"She's helping Wheeljack in his lab right now, but I can easily call her up so that you can…" Arcee started to say, only to stop short when another door into the room opened, and they all heard the most recent arrival speaking up with a voice that made Ruby and Yang both freeze up the instant they heard it, the former more so than the latter.

"I'm sorry to bother you with this, Optimus, but Wheeljack insisted that I come and get you right away. Said that he'd had a breakthrough on a new invention that could help a great deal in our next offensive against the 'Cons. I think this one may even make it possible for Grimlock and his team to tag along without worrying about blowing the secret," reported a woman whose features were mostly hidden by her long, white cloak, while her eyes were fixed on the Scroll in her hand. At least they were until she heard the first reaction to her arrival.

_"Hey, hey! Summer's here,"_ Bumblebee's radio sang out, making the white-cloaked woman turn from her Scroll to the Autobot in question.

"Bee? What're you doing here? I thought you weren't going to be visiting to stock up on energon for another few…"

That was as far as the woman got in her question, as the Autobots had chosen that moment to stand aside, allowing her to see their four visitors, and when her eyes found Ruby and Yang, she instantly let out a gasp and dropped her Scroll out of shock. The entirety of Team RWBY was almost just as shocked as her, because there, standing before them, was a woman that appeared to be almost the spitting image of Ruby, from her fair complexion, to her graduating black-to-red hair, and right down to her silver eyes. Unlike Ruby, the woman had her hair tied back in a half-up/half-down style, and when she raised an arm up, her cloak parted just enough for the girls to see that said cloak was red on the inside, while the rest of her outfit was very similar to Ruby's. At the moment though, no one was more focused on her than Ruby, and the others could only watch as the two stared at each other in shared, silent surprise for a few moments, even as Ruby slowly walked closer to the woman.

"R…Ruby," the white cloaked woman whispered, her voice heavy with emotion and signs that she was seconds away from shedding tears.

Before she could say anything more than that, Ruby had suddenly covered the rest of the distance between the two of them, and wrapped her in the tightest hug she could manage right now. It was not like the kind of hugs she would normally give out to her friends and family, but it seemed like it showed even more love than any of those. "Hey Mom," Ruby finally choked out with a smile as the first few tears began to fall from her eyes. "I've missed you so much."

Hearing that, Summer Rose could no longer hold herself back, and before anyone knew it, she was crying out of happiness with her daughter as she held Ruby to her as tightly as possible. "I missed you, too, my little rose," Summer replied. When she finally found the strength to pull back, she noticed that there was one other person in the room that she had not seen in a while, trying to hold back tears, and she immediately called out, "Yang."

When she heard Summer call her name, Yang instantly perked up and saw that Summer was holding one arm out in a silent invitation to the blonde, and Yang happily accepted as she rushed over to join the two in a group hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," Yang admitted, no longer trying to hold back her tears.

"I'm happy to see you too, Little Dragon," Summer stated as she held both girls in her arms for a few more minutes. When she finally released them both, she took a minute to look them over, unable to really believe that her daughters were standing before her or think of anything to say, until she finally said, "Look at you two…You're both so big!"

That got a little bit of laughter from both Ruby and Yang before they pulled their mother back in for another hug, none of them caring that Weiss, Blake, and the Autobots were all watching this little moment with happy smiles on their faces. Right now, they could not care about anything regarding Torchwick, the White Fang, or even the Decepticons. The two sisters just wanted to enjoy this unexpected but very welcome family reunion that they had been presented with, and no one had any intention of letting them do any less than that.

* * *

_**AN: Aaaaaaannnnnd scene! Great job everybody. Brilliant work! Yeah, you all read that right. In this little number, Ruby's mom did not die on her last mission, but instead faked her death so that she could help the Autobots with their mission in secret. And-Oof! [looks down to see what tackled him and sighs a bit] Really Ruby? You couldn't wait a few more seconds?**_

_**Ruby: Just shut up and take the hug. You wrote a story that let me get my mom back. You deserve it. [hugs a little tighter, but thankfully not to suffocation levels this time, and smiles happily]**_

_**AN: [looks at Ruby before finally just smiling and returning the hug] Okay, you win. Happy birthday, Ruby. [suddenly gets tackled with another hug and looks to see responsible party] Really Yang?**_

_**Yang: Hey, like Ruby said, you deserve it. Raven may have given birth to me, but Summer was the one who raised me, and I've always considered her as my real mom, so of course I'm gonna give you a hug too.**_

_**AN: Fair enough. [wraps an arm around Yang to complete the group hug for a few minutes before they all finally let go] Okay, we've all gotten all the hugs out there now, right?**_

_**RY: Yeah, we're good.**_

_**AN: Good. Now, let's go over the details that would be behind this meeting, should I ever decide to push forward and make this into a bigger story.**_

_**First off, I'm sure you all noticed more than a few references to various different Transformers media, be they the shows or the movies. In terms of the overall aesthetic design of the 'Bots, I'll simply say that they hold the designs we see them using in the newest Transformers series, Transformers Cyberverse. Just to be clear though, Optimus's voice is the one done by Peter Cullen, at least in my mind when I was writing this, so no worries there. In the case of character personalities, Grimlock is a bit more like is more iconic self in that he doesn't get along with Optimus too well most of the time, but he doesn't talk in the old "Me, Grimlock..." stuff unless he's in Dino-mode, same with the rest of the Dinobots. The transformers may have the Cyberverse design, along with a few elements that have been added to their story like the AllSpark search and other matters, but the idea behind how this would work (or at least what I would be going for here) would be something that is extremely similar to the G1 Transformers, hence why their base is the Ark, and its stuck in the side of a dormant volcano/mountain.**_

_**Just to be clear, the actual story would not start in the time frame of the main RWBY series. It'd be a little while before that. As in at a time before Summer Rose had gone on that last mission of hers, so you would get to see my interpretation of how that went down, or at least one that includes the Transformers in it. That section of the story would be pretty similar to the story of the Bumblebee movie, with the obvious difference being the addition of more 'Bots. I know that may seem like it would slow the story down a little, but trust me, it'd be so worth it.**_

_**While we're on the topic of Summer Rose, yes, I did basically bring her back from the dead, or more accurately, make it so that her death had never been a real thing. My reasoning: because we need a few more RWBY stories like that. Just about every time I've looked for a story with Summer Rose actually in it without being in the usual canon capacity, it usually falls under one of three categories: 1) She's brought back as some horrible Grimm-like monster under Salem's control. I mean, does anyone else think that makes no sense, considering that Summer's one of the few people who can **_**literally_ destroy Grimm with just a look? I mean come on! Besides, what kid would want to see their dead parent being brought back as a horrible monster? 2) It takes place sometime before the main story of RWBY and doesn't go beyond that. Sure, that's mostly applicable to fan comics or something, but still. It'd be nice to see something that's a little closer to the RWBY present day, even if that does mean talking about Summer's final fate. Not all of their wackier adventures could've happened while they were in Beacon. 3) Raven grows a conscience and saves Summer at the last second. Now I know that I basically did the same thing here in this Meeting, but in my defense, I will go ahead and say right now that Bumblebee did most of the work in saving Summer's life. Raven just gave them an exit and was asked to be the messenger about what had happened to Summer._**

**_Weiss: So, would this mean that Ruby's mom would likely be able to teach Ruby about a few things in the future, like about how to use her silver eyes? Or that she would get involved when the Fall of Beacon happens?_**

**_AN: I will say that Summer's death would be revealed to be faked some time around that point of this particular story's version of those events, but I can't go further than that._**

**_Ruby: Either way, I'd really like to see how that would play out, and see how you believe me and mom fighting side-by-side with each other would be like._**

**_AN: Well, don't get too excited. Remember, this is still just a rough draft for the actual story, and an idea for now. Whether or not I expand on it is up to everyone else who's reading it and what they think of this Meeting. Seriously guys, this is one of the ones where you need to let me know if you think I should push forward with expanding it into a full-fledged story in the future, so don't be afraid to tell me what you think about that in your reviews, please._**

**_Yang: Any other reason why we shouldn't get excited?_**

**_AN: You mean aside from the fact that, as of this moment, we still have no confirmation on what Summer's weapon actually was so I'd have a hard time writing out any fight scenes for her? No, nothing in particular comes to mind right now._**

**_Ruby: Either way, this was a great birthday present just for the fact that you let me reunite with my mom, so thanks again, lyokoMARVELanime. [hugs lyoko again]_**

**_AN: Yeah, this is clearly going to be a thing for a while._**

**_WBY: Are you complaining?_**

**_AN: So long as don't start losing the ability to breathe again...[looks between WBY and Ruby for a minute before just returning the hug with a smile] Not that much. And with that all said..._**

_**Please read and review, Happy Halloween, Happy birthday to Ruby, and I'll see you again in the next colorful adventure!**_


	4. Ben 10

_**AN: Well, after a short break to prepare for the holidays, it looks like this little beauty is the next to get updated, if for no other reason, than to say that I've gotten a full set of four Meetings done before the end of the year.**_

_**Weiss: That seems like an understandable reason...I guess. Do you plan on resolving any of the other cliffhangers that your other stories may or may not have right now though?**_

_**AN: Yes, I do intend to try and update at least one other story before we finally say goodbye to 2019, so you don't have to worry about that.**_

_**Blake: Say, why did you go with this one anyways?**_

_**AN: Honestly, this one just recently came to me and is one of the more fresh ideas in my head. Sure, it's a little more haphazard than the other three we've seen thus far, but it does seem like it has potential to be something pretty good. That, and I just felt like it would be good to get through all four of the series that are alluded to on the cover art.**_

_**Ruby: Yeah, even I'm having a hard time believing that's the whole reason.**_

_**AN: Okay, fine. Straight up; it was all of that, but I was also debating whether or not I should do one or two other ideas that I had in mind, the others being a Justice League or Power Rangers idea that I had in mind, and in the end, I just flipped a coin to see if I would go with the series that's on the cover art, or one of those other two.**_

_**Yang: That makes sense, and since we've now officially established a pattern with how these Meetings are introduced, I guess that means it's my turn to do the introduction, right?**_

_**AN: Yes ma'am, it is, but allow me to clarify the details on this meeting first. Now, this one is a slight AU where both the world of RWBY and the visiting series are in fact part of the same universe, but the world of Remnant is actually a different planet from the one that the visiting series normally takes place. Meaning, no universe/dimensional jumping will be happening here. Just traveling to another world. So basically, it's similar to the last Meeting we showcased, just with a different line-up of heroes. The Meeting itself takes place in RWBY Volume 4, during...well, I'm sure you can all figure it out once we get into the meet of things. Alright Yang, take it away!**_

_**Yang: Awesome! Today, the heroes of RWBY meet Ben 10!**_

_**AN: Yeah, that's right. It's Hero Time!**_

_**Ben 10: [suddenly sticks his head in the room to shout] Hey! That's my line!**_

_**AN: I'm well-aware, now shut up! Be glad that I've finally gotten you into any of my fanfictions at last and be happy, boy! Ahem. Moving on to the disclaimer.**_

_**I do not own anything from any of the RWBY franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

**Ben 10**

How had it all gone so wrong? That was the question that Ruby Rose had been asking herself time and time again ever since the Fall of Beacon, and rightfully so in both her mind and in the minds of many others. One moment everything had been going great; she had gotten into Beacon Academy two years early, she was not only on a great team with her sister but leading said team, made incredible, unforgettable friends, helped to stop a dangerous criminal and conspiracy against the kingdom of Vale, and her team had made it all the way to the finals of the Vytal Festival Tournament. The next thing she knew, things began spiraling out of control. Maybe it was the moment when everyone saw Yang "cripple" Mercury on live television that really started it all, and the way that it had driven a wedge between the blonde brawler and Blake, even if it was just a small one, but no one could deny just how insane things went after Pyrrha was tricked into ripping Ruby's best friend Penny apart in the way that she had. Before anyone knew it, Grimm were flooding every inch of Vale, the Atlesian army had been hacked by Cinder Fall and her gang, White Fang were attacking the school, and pure chaos had enveloped Vale entirely.

Sure, there were a few victories, like how Ruby managed to finally bring down Torchwick once and for all and his silent sidekick Neo as well. (She was well-aware that technically Torchwick was killed by a random Grimm, but it was during her final face-off with him, and she totally had him on the ropes. Ruby was counting that as her win, especially given her history with the annoying, smug bastard.) Not only that, but Ruby later heard that Weiss and Velvet were instrumental in clearing out a great deal of the enemies attacking her school so that everyone could evacuate, but what did one or two small victories mean in the face of such a crushing defeat?

Professor Ozpin was dead, Yang had lost one of her arms and was now a bitter shadow of her former self, Weiss's father had forced her to return home in the aftermath, Blake had ran off to parts unknown to all of them, and Pyrrha…Gods, Pyrrha…Ruby knew that Jaune and his teammates were all suffering a great deal over the loss of their redheaded teammate, the blonde knight especially from what she had seen, but Ruby had the unfortunate privilege of being the one who actually witnessed Cinder putting an arrow right through Pyrrha's chest. She was still having nightmares about that moment. Sure, it may have helped her to unlock some secret power she apparently had because of her silver eyes, and then turned that giant Wyvern Grimm into stone, but what good did that do anyone? The thing was still attracting other Grimm into both the city and the destroyed school, and no one had any luck getting rid of it for good last she heard. Besides, what did it matter if Ruby had stopped it from causing more serious damage if she had not been able to save not one, but two friends from Cinder's twisted plan.

All Ruby wanted at this point was to have things go back to the way they were, or at the very least, to get her team, her best friends and second family back together, but it did not seem like either of those were very likely to happen. So, she had to settle for getting some answers as to why the nightmare had happened in the first place, and thanks to her Uncle Qrow, she knew just the place to start looking for those answers: Haven. It made a lot of sense, seeing as that was the place that Cinder and her teammates had said they were from, so Ruby had no problem setting out for Anima as soon as she felt she had been rested enough for the long journey. She had been hesitant in bringing along the three surviving members of Team JNPR (Juniper), but Jaune, Ren, and Nora had all insisted that they knew what they were getting into when they volunteered their services to her.

So, here she was, miles from home, separated from her sister and best friends, crossing Anima while the rest of the world was gripped in confusion and fear after the loss of the Beacon CCT, and all with the help of a new team that was forged from the combination of her and the remaining members of JNPR; a team that had been dubbed RNJR (Ranger), despite Nora's protests. Sure, they came across a few destroyed villages, some odd Grimm here and there, and even took on some small jobs to keep money in their pockets and ensure that they always had a good amount of supplies, but Ruby still wished that she could have been doing this with good old Team RWBY (Ruby) at her side.

That desire was stronger than ever right now. After they had wandered into the abandoned village of Oniyuri, which Ren had described as Anima's version of Mountain Glenn, Ruby and the others had all quickly come under attack by a scorpion Faunus who was clearly not all there. His intentions were not too hard to discern though, given that he had announced them like it was not a big deal: this crazy weirdo was interested in taking Ruby somewhere with him by any means necessary, and if what her uncle had told her after she woke up in her bed all those months ago was any indication, Ruby had a feeling that it had something to do with the strange powers of her silver eyes. Not that it really helped her to make much more sense of what this guy's deal was, and it was even less help in making the fight easier for her and her friends.

It was not until Qrow had finally showed up to save Ruby at the last second that the tide started to turn in their favor, and even he was struggling against this crazy man who called himself Tyrian. Naturally this worried Ruby for a number of reasons, and not just because of how her uncle was risking his life against this crazy man that would make the nuttiest of nuts seem normal in comparison. Qrow was a professional huntsman, one of the best at that, had graduated at the top of his class along with her father and mother, and taught Ruby everything she knew about scythe-wielding, and he was having a hard time getting the upper hand on Tyrian. Sure, she was able to help out a little earlier, but even that just barely did much to swing things in her uncle's favor for very long.

Recognizing this, Ruby did not hesitate to jump in and rejoin the fight the next time she saw an opening, and managed to deflect Tyrian's next strike against her uncle before the scorpion Faunus ever even reached Qrow, much to the psycho's amusement. "Do you wish to be taken," Tyrian chortled in question.

"No, but I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt," Ruby retorted angrily, and like that, Ruby was rushing forward alongside her uncle to engage Tyrian in a ferocious dance of blades, her scythe locking with one of Tyrian's gauntlet-blades at the very same second that Qrow's sword had the other.

Qrow was soon kicked away from the other two, leaving Ruby to tangle with Tyrian on her own for a few seconds. Not that she had too much trouble doing so, given that a few easy twirls of her scythe allowed her to block, deflect, and parry many of Tyrian's attacks, even when he lashed out with his tail, but when she went for a counter strike, she found her blow unable to connect, and was left open for Tyrian's retaliation. Luckily Qrow had managed to recover and come to the rescue just in time, parrying the Faunus's strike and then pushing him back with his sword just in time.

Glancing over his shoulder, Qrow quickly shouted, "Ruby, I told you to stay back!"

"This is my fight too," Ruby argued before she charged around so that she could hit Tyrian from another angle. She vaguely took notice Qrow shouting something else to her when she next attacked, but really, you could not blame her. She had already committed to her next attack so much that by the time Qrow had next spoken up, the young scythe-wielder was unable to stop. If anything, Qrow's warning had probably helped play more of a part in Ruby being unable to avoid Tyrian's next strike on her.

Ruby was able to shrug off the blow and land her feet again easily enough, but what she had not realized was that she had landed right beneath an unstable beam from the destroyed house that Qrow and Tyrian had crashed through earlier in the fight, and that very same beam was now about to fall on top of her. Qrow was about to rush in save his niece from being crushed underneath the falling support beam, but something else beat him to it, and before he could even blink at that. The only real sign anyone had of someone rushing to Ruby's rescue was how the wind had suddenly picked up all of a sudden, and the fact they all heard the sounds of something moving past them at an incredibly high speed. Even Ruby was a little stunned about how it had happened, given that whatever had saved her seemed to be as fast as her, but what came as even more of a surprise was not the fact that she was a good few feet away from both Qrow and Tyrian afterwards, but the identity of her rescuer.

The red hooded huntress was not the only one stunned by the sight of this newcomer, as Qrow, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and even Tyrian were left gobsmacked by the sight of the thing that had just pulled Ruby to safety. There, standing over Ruby was without a doubt, the strangest creature that any of them had ever seen. If they were to use any kind of comparison, they had to say that it looked like a bipedal lizard of some kind with blue skin, black balls for feet, a long tail with blue stripes, sharp-looking black claws, and what looked like a black helmet covering a cone-shaped head. Said helmet also had a visor down to hide its face from view, and the only other distinguishing features that any of them could see was the green stripe running up his torso, with an odd dial on the center of his chest with an hourglass shaped emblem.

While everyone continued staring at him, the lizard-man turned to Tyrian and spoke in a high-pitched, scratchy voice. "Hey pal, didn't anyone ever tell you it's not nice to pick on girls and old men," the lizard-man quipped.

"Hey! Who're you calling an old man," Qrow demanded after hearing that comment, while Tyrian (shockingly) just chortled.

"Well, aren't you the surprising development," Tyrian said like he had made an incredible discovery. "And just what might you be, friend?"

"For one thing, _not_ your friend, and for another, the guy who's about to _accelerate_ you into a world of pain unless you beat it in the next two seconds," the lizard man corrected, his voice turning darker as he spoke his threat, sending a few shivers up the former Beacon students' spines.

"Well, as I told our dear huntsman friend over here earlier, I'm afraid that's not possible," Tyrian chuckled. "Her grace assigned me to capture that girl there, and that is what I must do. One mustn't upset the queen."

The lizard-man looked around to see Team RNJR once again giving Tyrian bewildered looks while Qrow just snarled at the scorpion man, until he finally said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was English, or whatever you guys call the basic language you all speak here, but all I heard was 'blah-blah-blah, crazy, blah-blah, kidnap a girl.' So, what do you think I'm going to do now?"

Tyrian seemed to pause in his cackles and grinning to think that over for a minute, almost as if he had just been asked the meaning of life, until he finally said, "Perhaps, try and fight me and end up dying?"

"…Well, you got one part of that right at least," the lizard-man shrugged, and just like that, he was off again, disappearing into a black and blue blur as he ran at and around Tyrian, hitting the psycho at incredible speeds.

At first it seemed like the lizard-man was able to throw Tyrian off his game, and he clearly scored more than a few hits on him, but eventually, Tyrian did find some openings that he could exploit, and managed to dodge many of the stranger's blows. He even managed to throw the creature off-course by shooting a constant barrage from his gauntlet guns. Not that it ever seemed to slow the blue-lizard man down for very long, if at all, as he just changed course and continued to run as fast as ever. Eventually, the blur disappeared from view, and everyone started to think he had left, until Tyrian felt something tap him on one shoulder. Turning around, Tyrian was a little surprised to find no one there, and was soon feeling another tap on his shoulder from behind, prompting him to turn around again. This trend continued to repeat itself for quite some time, making Tyrian look more and more like a fool as he spun this way and that in an attempt to face the person who was tapping his shoulder. Ruby and the others eventually found themselves struggling not to laugh despite the seriousness of their situation; even Qrow was smirking a little bit at how ridiculous the nut looked right now, but Tyrian was just getting more annoyed.

"Will you stop hiding and fight me," Tyrian eventually shouted as he not only fired his guns by swung his tail around as wildly as he could.

"Who's hiding," the lizard-man quipped soon after as he came running at Tyrian from out of nowhere. When the two collided with one another, a loud boom echoed all throughout the area, while dust was flung up around the two fighters, indicating that Tyrian had just been hit by someone moving at supersonic speeds.

Qrow and Team RNJR were all sure that their crazy attacker had bitten it after that, but to their surprise, Tyrian had ended up managing to block the attack with his tail, and was now just grinning madly at the lizard man as he held back the claw the creature had thrust forward. "Okay, I'm pretty sure your bones should be shattered by now, at the very least," the lizard-man commented after lifting his visor up to reveal his blue face and green eyes underneath.

"Oh, should they," Tyrian asked with a mad grin before he finally sent the lizard-man flying away from him. "Perhaps you just aren't as strong as you thought."

"Yeah, maybe that is the case," the lizard-man confessed, and to everyone's further surprise, he actually smirked a little as he continued speaking. "This guy isn't really built for heavy-hitting, but luckily, I've got plenty of guys that are. So let's see how you handle my friend Humungousaur!"

What happened next was not something that any of the huntsmen and their strange, crazy attacker expected. The lizard-man tapped the emblem on his chest, releasing a bright green light across the entire area that forced all of them to close their eyes so they would not be blinded, and when they opened their eyes again, they saw that he had been replaced by an entirely different being. This one looked to be made of crystals, with his face, arms, and the spikes protruding out of his back and chest being pale green, while the rest of his body was indigo in color. The only features he seemed to retain from the previous creature were the hourglass emblem on his chest, and his green eyes, which were looking over his form in disbelief and annoyance.

"Diamondhead? Seriously, why did Azmuth even bother to give you a dial if you're just gonna give me the wrong guy all the time," the crystal creature grumbled at the emblem on his chest. He then clenched his fists, which seemed to give off a faint metallic sound as he moved, and said, "You know what? Fine. I can still work this."

If Tyrian was going to give some kind of retort, he did not get the chance to, as the bizarre shapeshifter raised his arms up and began firing off several crystal shards at the crazy man at a rapid pace. Since Tyrian was put so far on the defensive by the sudden barrage, he was not able to notice when Diamondhead lifted his foot up to stomp on the ground, creating a trail of crystal spikes out from said point. Tyrian was caught completely off-guard by this sudden tactic, and ended up running headlong right into the crystal wall, but he still managed to recover just enough to avoid Diamondhead when he tried to clothesline him. A sudden shifting of crystal served as additional sign of Diamondhead changing one of his arms into a huge blade which he then started swinging at the scorpion man as hard as he could, but like earlier in his fight against the huntsmen, Tyrian was able to dodge many of his swings easily, even when Diamondhead started using both arms as blades.

"Huh. Interesting," Qrow muttered. "His fighting style's completely changed from what it was before."

"What do you mean," Jaune asked, not quite seeing what Ruby's uncle had.

"Before, he was using his superior speed in hit-and-run tactics, similar to how Ruby fights with her Semblance, but now, he's just trying to outmuscle Tyrian," Ren explained for his friend.

"Makes sense. He doesn't really look all that fast anymore," Ruby noted. "But how'd he change like that in the first place, or what even is he?"

"Maybe he's some kind of weird Atlas experiment gone wrong, or an alien invader from another world," Nora suggested in a small show of her old randomness. It was pretty rare to see that from her these days, but it was always a relief to know that the old Nora was still in there.

"Somehow, I doubt that, Nora," Jaune deadpanned.

What none of them knew was that Diamondhead had caught a few snippets of their conversation, and had to smirk a little at both Nora's second guess and how quickly Jaune dismissed it and the first one. That distraction ended up causing him to falter a little in his next swing went wide, and missed Tyrian entirely, giving him a chance to try and hit back with the blades on his gauntlets. The only thing they ended up doing though was chinking Diamondhead's body a little, making the shape shifter quirk a nonexistent eyebrow at him.

"You were paying attention to the part where I mentioned that I call this guy _Diamond_head, right," the shapeshifter questioned. "It's gonna take a lot more than your little blades to cut my skin."

"Then how about something with more of a bang," Tyrian asked, firing off several rounds from the guns on his gauntlets soon after.

Diamondhead did not even flinch in response. The small chink in his body did gain a few extra cracks, but those cracks were steadily repairing themselves soon after. "Honestly, that just barely tickled," Diamondhead admitted before slugging Tyrian away from him.

The crystal man then prepared to fire off a few more crystal shards at the crazy man, but just when he had raised his arms up he noticed how Tyrian's eyes did not really seem to be entirely focused on him. Sure, the crazy man was looking at him, but it was more like in his general area than right at him, and that gave him an idea that he wanted to test out. Slapping the emblem on his chest, he change once again, this time into what looked like a red manta ray-like creature with yellow horns and patagia. Spreading his arms wide, the shapeshifter took to the sky and shot out a quick energy blast from his eyes at the ground near Tyrian, prompting him to turn to where the shot had hit. The next few blasts he fired off where then blocked or dodged by Tyrian, and yet the scorpion Faunus did not ever seem to ever look in the shapeshifter's direction, much like earlier when Ruby was taking pot-shots at him with her scythe's sniper.

"Looks like that tail of yours isn't the only scorpion-like thing about you," the shapeshifter commented as he slowly flew about the area, while steadily maneuvering into a new position. "Guess that would explain why the old-timer over there was able to land a few more hits with his fists than he was with his sword earlier. So let's see how you deal with four different fists coming at you at once."

Tapping the emblem on his chest again, the manta ray then changed into a bipedal tiger, the same emblem from before still in the center of his chest, and judging by the angry roar he let out, he was not too happy right now. "Lemme tell you something new Omnitrix that keeps giving me the wrong thing! Rath is sick of you not working right! It's not even funny anymore," the tiger-man, who was apparently called Rath, shouted at the emblem.

The shouting drew Tyrian's attention to the shapeshifter's location, and he was soon on the attack again, rushing at the bipedal tiger as he fired several shots from his guns. The only thing he really seemed to do though was annoy the tiger-man, given how he was now growling as he turned to face Tyrian. "Oh, you want to take some potshots at Rath, huh crazy scorpion man? Well consider that another mistake you've made in a long list of mistakes you've made today. 'Cause when you shoot Rath, IT MAKES RATH MAD!"

Rath then charged at Tyrian as he shouted, "Cosmic Clothesline!" Despite the loud shout, Tyrian was still hit by the tiger man's attack, along with the several punches that he delivered soon after. He then grabbed Tyrian while shouting, "Opheiucus Supplex!" The next thing Tyrian knew, he was being thrown through the air until his head impacted the ground. Rath then scrambled to get up onto one of the nearby rooftops, while Tyrian was dazed, and shouted, "From the top rope! SIRIUS BUTT KICKING!"

That last one was coupled with a flying drop kick that sent Tyrian flying once more, until he hit a nearby wall. Rath was about to charge again when Qrow suddenly called out, "Hey, tiger guy!" When Rath spun to face him, Qrow could see that the guy had apparently calmed down a little, and figured he should be quick in what he wanted to say. "Was that Sirius like the star, or like something important?"

"Like the star," Rath replied as simply as he could.

"'Kay. Thanks for clearing that up," Qrow waved. "You can go back to doing our jobs for us now."

"Humph. Amateurs," Rath huffed. "Rath's just gotta do everything himself these days."

"Hey! Who're you calling amateurs, you overgrown kitty," Nora demanded, drawing Rath's raging ire onto her.

"Kitty? KITTY?!" Rath roared indignantly. "Lemme tell you something, strange, near-sighted girl with a big hammer! Rath ain't no kitty! Rath's the baddest of the bad! The king of mean! The cat who's all that…And about seventy other things." Before he could continue ranting, Tyrian came back in to land a sucker punch on Rath, and then slashed his stomach with his tail's stinger. The sting seemed to do more damage than the punch did, as Rath belted out a loud, pained roar before dropping to one knee and glaring at Tyrian as he muttered, "Cheap shot."

Tyrian's only response was to grin malevolently at this being who had so thoroughly humiliated him just now, even as a faint beeping suddenly started going off. When the beeping finally stopped, Rath had changed once again, but this time around, he changed into something that looked far more normal. In the place of the strange, bipedal, angry tiger, now stood a young Caucasian man who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with bright green eyes and brown hair. His attire was pretty basic overall, as it consisted of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers, leaving only two things about his attire to really stand out: namely the green jacket with white stripes and a number ten emblazoned inside of a black circle on the left pectoral, and the weird, wristwatch on his left wrist. Said watch was mainly noticeable because it had a square-shaped, black and green version of the hourglass symbol that had been on each of his different forms up until now, and it did not take much for Tyrian and the others to start drawing some connections between said device and those forms he turned into.

Any questions that the various huntsmen had for this strange boy would have to wait, as Tyrian was already closing in on him, eager to finish him off. "Well, anything you'd like to say for yourself now," he chortled to the boy as he raised his blades.

The boy could only clutch his chest in the spot where Tyrian's stinger had slashed him as he glared up at the scorpion Faunus, panting heavily as he muttered out, "Aw man."

Just when Tyrian was about to strike, Ruby decided to pay the strange boy back for his earlier rescue of her, and latched the blade of her scythe onto Tyrian's tale. Upon pulling the trigger on Crescent Rose, Ruby's trusted sweetheart easily sliced through and severed the Faunus's tail from his body, making Tyrian howl in pain afterwards as he stumbled away from both his target and the strange boy. If anyone was terribly surprised by Ruby's sudden show of viciousness, they did not say anything, but the boy in green did give her a rather astonished look to showcase his surprise. For the most part though, everyone was just watching as Tyrian stumbled around a little, continuing to cry out in pain from having his tail severed in the way that it had been until he finally managed to work through the pain and face his targets again.

"You…You little bitch," Tyrian shouted at Ruby, struggling to just stumble towards her again as if he still intended to try and capture her. At least he was until Qrow suddenly stepped in between him and Ruby, with Nora, Jaune, and Ren on either side of him to form a defensive wall.

"Buddy, if you want to stop living, then I dare you to call my niece that again," Qrow threatened with a low growl that was oozing with a promise of danger.

Tyrian seemed to finally take note of how seriously the tables had turned against him, and just muttered to himself for a few seconds before he finally just scrambled away as fast as he could. No one let their guard down until they were sure he was gone though, but even so, their concentration was nearly broken when the boy in green shouted after Tyrian, "Yeah…you better run!"

Hearing the boy shout like that drew Ruby's attention back to him, and before anyone knew it, she was kneeling down next to the boy to check him over. "Hey, are you okay," Ruby worriedly asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He just scratched me," the boy waved off. He then straightened up a bit as he added, "But just to be on the safe side, better dial in some extra help."

The others then watched as the boy tapped the dial of his strange watch, making a small green, holographic disk appear over it with images of faces on it that he steadily scrolled through. After coming to the selection he wanted, he tapped the watch again, and the ring disappeared while the face slid back, allowing a cylinder with the hourglass symbol on top to pop out. Upon slamming down on the cylinder, the boy was enveloped in a brilliant green light once again, and changed into what Ruby and the others could only describe as a weird, plant-like man with what looked like red and yellow flower petals sprouting out of his head like hair.

"Swampfire," the boy shouted loudly before turning his gaze onto the emblem on his chest once more. "Oh sure. _Now_ you give me the guy I want," he grumbled. He let out a relaxed sigh soon after though, and after a few more minutes, he changed back to his human form, looking much better than he had before he changed. "Ah, that's better," the boy sighed in relief. "Never let it be said that it doesn't pay to be able to change into an alien whose regenerative powers are better than any hospital."

"Speaking of which, you've got a few things to explain, kid," Qrow stated in a demanding tone. "Starting with who you are and what those things you turned into were."

"What? You've never seen an alien before," the boy asked like it should have been obvious, drawing stunned looks onto all five huntsmen's faces. "Oh. I guess you haven't."

Nora just grinned at her friends with an obvious told-you-so look, while most of the others just gave the strange boy perplexed looks. Qrow on the other hand narrowed his eyes at the kid a little more and gripped his sword's handle tighter in preparation to attack. The guy may not be that much older than either Ruby or Yang, but given what they had all seen him do up until now, Qrow felt it would be stupid to not be ready to act in case he was a threat. "Last chance, twerp. Who are you," Qrow demanded.

"The name's Ben Tennyson. Some people back home call me Ben Ten," the green-eyed boy finally introduced.

"Would that be because you can turn into ten of those monsters in total," Ren guessed.

"Hey! One, they're not monsters; they're aliens. There is a difference," Ben snapped in retort. "And two, yeah, originally. Now though, I can turn into like…seventyish? I honestly stopped counting after a while, and that's without the fact that's not even all of them."

Now the group was stupefied on a number of levels. He could turn into at least seventy different creatures like the ones they had seen so far, and that was not even the total number? If that was true, then there was a very real chance that this one kid was likely more powerful than any other huntsman that had ever lived, if not anything on Remnant period. At another point in time, Ruby would likely have started having a little fan-girl moment over how it seemed like she had just met a real-life superhero, but right now, she was more concerned than anything else.

"How are you able to do that anyway," Ruby asked, taking a quick glance at his watch when she did while keeping her voice as even and controlled as she could. "Does it have something to do with that watch?"

"Try everything," Ben replied while holding his wrist up so that everyone could see the device on it. "It's called the Omnitrix, and it's one of if not _the_ most powerful device in the universe simply because of how it not only stores DNA samples of every intelligent life form in the galaxy, but also allows the wearer to change into them."

"How'd you end up with something like that," Jaune asked.

"By accident, really," Ben shrugged, earning him perplexed looks. "It's a bit of a long story."

"Well then how about the reason why you're even here," Qrow asked, still suspicious of this kid.

"Oh, that one's easy. I'm here to help save your world," Ben shrugged like it was no big deal with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Our world," Ruby questioningly repeated. "You say that like you're not even from Remnant."

"That's because I'm not. I come from a planet called Earth, where humans and aliens have recently started living together in peace…Most of the time," Ben revealed.

"And the rest of the time," Ren asked.

"That's what my friends and I are for," Ben smirked in return. "Well, us, my grandpa, and an entire organization of space cops that really need to consider changing their name."

More wide-eyed stares followed Ben's statement, until Nora grinned and said, "This. Is. PERFECT! We can get to the bottom of all the mysteries, and then, we can head back to Vale with cute, miracle-boy, Ben here and have him use those awesome aliens to get everything back to normal!"

"Somehow, I don't think it would be that simple, Nora," Ren dismissed, while Ben just gave her a slightly flat look.

"It's not, and please don't ever call me that again. I'm trying to avoid attracting too much attention while I'm here, especially since this is a chance for me to start over on having a secret identity again," Ben informed them.

"What do you mean 'again,'" Jaune asked.

"Again, it's a long story," Ben replied.

"Is anything not a long story with you," Qrow asked. That drew a thoughtful expression onto Ben's face, and when he did not answer for a few more seconds, Qrow knew that he had his answer.

Ruby on the other hand still had some questions she wanted answered. "Do you know who that guy was, or why he was after me?"

"Sorry, but I'm just as lost on all of that as you are," Ben shrugged. "All I know was that some crazy guy was attacking all of you and it looked like you needed help, so I did what I do best: be the hero."

"I've got a few good ideas on why he was here," Qrow admitted, though he seemed more than a little hesitant to say much more than that.

Hearing him say that reminded everyone on Team RNJR of a few other questions that they had for the seasoned, professional huntsman, and Ren was the first to voice them. "How did you even get here in the first place?"

"And why did he indicate that there were other people after Ruby," Jaune questioned, especially worried about that detail. He had already lost Pyrrha, and he did not want to think of the possibility of losing one of his first and best friends too.

Qrow just glanced away, still just as nervous as before, until Ruby looked to him and asked, "Uncle Qrow, what's really going on?"

Looking to his niece and seeing the concerned look on her face did him in. Even after all these years, Qrow just could not say no to Ruby when she was making faces like that, and he was sure that it was another power that she had inherited from her mother. Summer had often been able to pull anything out of him just as easily with just a look, too, but now was not the time to be reminiscing about the good old days. Right now, he had to come clean on a great deal of things. So, he looked amongst the group, and asked a question that Ozpin always seemed to lead with whenever he brought someone in on these secrets. "What's your favorite fairy tale?"

The others all looked at Qrow for a few minutes, trying to figure out what that had to do with anything, while Ben simply muttered, "I'm starting to get the feeling that Gwen should've been the one to be sent here instead of me."

* * *

_**AN: Yeah, this one's a little shorter than the last few, but eh, what can you do? It's not like I was going to go all the way in on just what all would've gone down, and besides, even though this idea would include other characters and heroes from the Ben 10 franchise, the Meeting is titled as just Ben 10, so why include more than our favorite Omnitrix wielder in the first place, right?**_

_**Ruby: I thought it was pretty good.**_

_**Weiss: Of course you would. You were the only one on our team that was actually in it.**_

_**AN: Sorry Weiss, but like I said, the Meeting was only listed to be a meeting with Ben 10. Now, let me be clear on a few other things about this meeting before I bid you all ado for the moment. First off, this is just a basic rough draft of the idea behind a bigger story, and if I don't go forward with it, I certainly hope that someone will take this as inspiration for their own story. I know there's already a lot of crossovers between RWBY and Ben 10, but hey, what's one more, right?**_

**_On another note, you guys know what I normally see whenever I find a RWBY crossover on this, or really any fanfiction site?_**

**_Yang: Things get more awesome? One of us gets paired up with an incredible hero from another series? One or both groups get a cool power-up?_**

**_AN: Nearly all of them take place either right at the start or really at some point between Volume 1 and the ending phases of Volume 3. I mean, I get why that is; a lot of the really big changes and good that the visiting heroes can do tends to take place within that time frame, or more specifically, during the Fall of Beacon, but after a while, it starts to get a little tired._**

**_Blake: You're not exactly innocent yourself in that regard._**

**_AN: Yes Blake, I'm well-aware that I've done the same thing with Remnant of the Key, and I won't pretend like it's only because the original version of that story had started at that same point. In that case, it just made a lot more sense for it to start there than it did at a later point, but I'm just saying, it wouldn't hurt to break the trend every once in a while, you know? Especially in this case. I mean, aside from one AU where the two universes are basically fused together, the only time I can remember ever seeing Ben 10 entering the world of RWBY at a point that wasn't at the start of the series was the story Ben 10 RWBY Volume 1: Dimension Twist by "The Omni-Remnant". (Great story by the way). Let's mix it up a little bit more shall we? Like with this case here._**

**_Now the idea I'm going for here, is (while a little tired as well), that Paradox appears before Ben and his team to tell them about the danger on Remnant, and basically sends them off on a mission to help Ruby and the others in their quest to beat Salem. That's right, it's not just Ben who would be on this mission, but good old Alien Force as well, meaning Kevin and Gwen are tagging along, and since everything in RWBY seems to come in fours, another one of Ben's allies would be right there along for the ride. I'm honestly thinking either Rook or one of the Plumber's Helpers, like Allan (you know, the Heatblast kid). This would be at a point that's follows after the end of Ultimate Alien, but it would include a few elements from Omniverse (as you may have guessed from the fact that Rook is a consideration for the fourth member of Ben's team)._**

**_As far the design of Ben and his aliens goes, I'd go with the stylings of Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, but Ben is using the Omnitrix from Omniverse. I honestly feel like those two series were some of Ben 10's better moments overall. Ben's a much more mature hero and takes things seriously a lot more often, but does still have moments where he's reckless, overconfident, and...well, you get the idea. I would include certain aliens that were given a debut in Omniverse (like Feedback, Gravattack, or Bloxx, just to name a few), but for the most part, unless I were to say otherwise, every alien Ben would use would be using the Alien Force/Ultimate Alien stylings, if they appeared in said series._**

**_Yang: I'll admit, I do think that Ben himself looks best in those series._**

**_Blake: Yeah, he does look pretty cool in those two from what I've seen._**

**_Weiss: Even I have to admit that he looks much better and more mature in those two series than he did in Omniverse._**

**_Ruby: Wait, what about aliens that he has in the newest series? Would they be included too?_**

**_AN: At the moment, probably not, because aside from the classic ones (some of which had gotten a terrible redesign [I'm looking at that new version of Stinkfly]) most of those seem pretty ridiculous from what I've seen, save for maybe one or two._**

**_And since I know everyone's going to ask about this, the question of whether Ben would be able to go Ultimate or not is...actually a little undecided right now, but I'm leaning towards no, at least at the start. I've heard some pretty convincing arguments against that evolutionary function in the Ultimatrix, like how it goes against the reason why Azmuth built the Omnitrix in the first place, but at the same time, I doubt anyone can deny that it does have a few uses to it, and how it gave Ben some of his most powerful forms. If I do decide to add it in, there's a few ways that it could be done, like maybe the watch getting an upgrade, or it's a special function that's locked off from Ben at the moment. Heck, I've even seen a few stories where the Ultimate Forms are something that Ben can use because of getting his Aura unlocked and the Ultimate Form transformations are part of his Semblance. It's really all up in the air right now._**

**_Weiss: Wait, if Ben's with Qrow and Team RNJR right now, then what about the rest of his team? Where would they be if you are including them?_**

**_AN: I'm glad you asked! At the moment, I've got it lined up so that Kevin is with Yang and Tai, helping the former get back into action again while teaching her a few things about how she be better prepared the next time she goes up against someone that fights dirty or in a manner similar to Adam's, while Gwen is sent to Atlas and goes on to help Weiss escape old Jerk Schnee, if not more quickly than certainly earlier, masquerading as a bodyguard for Weiss when she first appears before our favorite heiress._**

**_Weiss: Ex-heiress, and...wait, "Jerk Schnee"? Don't you mean Jacques?_**

**_AN: I know what I said. The only thing I really know for certain about the fourth member of Alien Force for this story would be that they would be tag-teaming with Blake in Menagerie alongside of Sun, and most likely be disguising themselves as a Faunus via ID Mask. Now, any other questions?_**

**_Ruby: Nope. I think that covers it._**

**_AN: Okay then! So, I guess that wraps things up for now. Let me know what you guys think of this one in your reviews, and if I should push forward with it sometime in the future. If I don't update post anything again at any time this month, then I'll just go ahead and say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, or Quanza, or whatever holiday you celebrate, Happy New Years, see you in 2020, and of course..._**

_**Please read and review, Happy Holidays to all, and I'll see you again in the next colorful adventure!**_


	5. Marvel Universe

_**AN: Hello everyone and hello 2020! Sorry it's taken so long for me to get anything posted again, but I've been working on something special.**_

_**Ruby: What would that be?**_

_**AN: Sorry Ruby, but that's top secret for the moment, and the earliest anyone's going to find out what it is would be around March.**_

_**Yang: Well, at least we have a release date on that.**_

_**AN: Yes, but this is also me letting everyone know that it may be a little while before I can do regular updates again, so don't be surprised if you don't see too many updates on any of my stories for a while. Hopefully this will be enough to tie you all over for a little while.**_

_**Weiss: Well I would like to see some updates for the only regular story that we're a part of. I'm right there with everyone that is eagerly awaiting to see how our travels among other worlds with Team JNPR and the Keyblade wielders develop.**_

_**Blake: I'd like to see an update or two to Keyblade Legion, myself, or maybe even A Spider's Focus.**_

_**AN: Now you guys are starting to sound like some of my reviewers. Don't worry, I'm going to do my best to update my other stories when I can, but this project I'm working on is very important, and I think all of my followers are really going to like it, or at the very least, like that I'm doing it. For now though, let's get into today's Meeting. First off, this one is a very special Meeting, and it has the cast of RWBY traveling to another dimension, while taking place in the aftermath of RWBY Volume 5. I'm afraid that's really all I can say without giving away too many spoilers, but I do believe you'll get a good idea on what's what when our favorite little red reaper gives us our big intro. Take it away, Ruby!**_

_**Ruby: With pleasure, sir! Today the heroes of RWBY meet the heroes of the MARVEL Universe!**_

_**AN: You heard the lady. Let's assemble!**_

_**I do not own anything from any of the RWBY franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

**Marvel Universe**

None of them were sure what had happened. One minute they were all heading for the Argus Limited Station, eager to complete the newest assignment in their mission to stop Salem, and then the next thing anyone knew, the whole sky had lit up in a brilliant color of lights. The only thing more bizarre than that was how Ruby could have sworn that she saw a giant sword flying in the sky above them before she was forced to shut her eyes to avoid being blinded by the light. The others all thought that she had probably just imagined it as a way of dealing with the stress, but given the drastic change in surroundings that greeted their eyes when they looked about again, they started to think they should reconsider that idea.

At first they all thought that they had somehow been transported to Atlas, given the massive buildings that surrounded them and the overly crowded streets, but a second glance helped to dismiss the notion just as it had formed. For one thing, the city was obviously not up in the sky like Atlas itself was known to be, and for another, they saw no sign to indicate that they were anywhere in mantle. Not to mention that none of them remembered hearing anything about a tall building with the word Oscorp printed on the side being anywhere on Remnant, let alone Atlas itself. To add onto the strangeness, there appeared to be a giant, green wall surrounding the city, and said wall appeared to extend upwards without end, and from the looks of trepidation and fear many people had in regards to it, the group of nine could only assume that the wall was not a normal part of the city.

Unsurprisingly, Nora broke the silence that had fallen amongst them and asked, "Anyone else now have like a million questions right now?"

"At least, but I think all of our questions can be summarized with just one," Jaune informed his hyperactive friend. "What the hell?!"

As surprising as it was to hear Jaune say that, everyone had to agree with his assessment, and naturally, they all ended up turning to the former farm boy who was currently playing host to their former headmaster's soul. "Kid, any ideas from Oz," Qrow asked on everyone's behalf.

"Not at the moment," Oscar revealed, but before he could say more than that, his eyes glowed for a brief moment, indicating that Ozpin had taken over. The old wizard glanced around for a brief spell before settling his gaze on the group, and said, "This certainly doesn't seem like anything I've ever seen from Salem, but I can't say for certain if this is her doing or not."

"Do you know for sure that she's capable of this," Yang questioned, already sounding like she was ready to get upset with Ozpin for keeping that information from them.

"As I said, I can't say for certain. In all of my lifetimes, I've never seen anything like this before," Ozpin calmly admitted, but his attempt at placating Yang did not seem to provide much comfort for the group as a whole.

Not that you could blame anyone. If Ozpin, a man who had lived for several, if not countless lifetimes had truly never seen something like this before, then there was little doubt that they could have just ended up in the middle of a very dangerous situation without even knowing it. Worse than that, it meant that none of them had any clues as to how they could get back to where they were before, and while the city did seem reasonably calm, that did not mean it was safe for them to just wander about aimlessly in an attempt to find answers, so his response ended up only driving home just how much trouble they had landed in the midst of. Just when it looked like they were liable to start panicking, they all heard the sounds of people screaming from somewhere close by.

They did not need to look very hard to try and find out where the screams came from; the large crowd of people running in terror definitely helped to narrow it down, and they were soon racing off in that direction to determine the cause of all the panic. When they saw the veritable horde of black creatures with bone-like armor rampaging through the street, they all felt themselves relaxing a little bit, if for no other reason than the fact that they finally found something familiar in this strange place: the creatures of Grimm. Not that they were going to celebrate the discovery of this first bit of normalcy for them, given that the Grimm were still dangerous and already causing a lot of damage to the surrounding area.

"Well, it wouldn't be a big problem if the Grimm weren't around," Blake grumbled as she drew Gambol Shroud in its sword mode.

"As if things weren't already difficult enough," Weiss agreed with the Faunus.

"Maybe, but at least this is a part of the problem that we can do something about," Ruby reminded them, gabbing Crescent Rose from its holster on her back and unfolding her precious weapon for battle. Her words proved to be the call to action that the others needed, because just seconds after she had spoken, everyone had their weapons out and ready, leaving only one immediate question.

"What's the plan, Ruby," Yang asked her sister as she assumed her usual fighting stance.

"Keep the Grimm contained here, and don't let anyone die," Ruby ordered, and with that, the former Beacon students, Qrow, and Oscar were charging into battle once more, the last of which taking control of his body back from Ozpin before he entered the fray at his insistence.

They did not really pay too much attention to the type of Grimm they were fighting at first. As long as they were attacking innocent people, all that mattered was destroying the soulless creatures before they could sink their claws into anyone. After a while though, the group did start to notice how a lot of the Grimm they were dealing with were not the kind that they had come to expect ever since arriving in Anima. Instead, they were all Grimm that were indigenous to Vale and the rest of the Sanus continent. Everything from Boarbatusks, Deathstalkers, and even Creeps were flocking about in this one area of the city. Sure, there were plenty of Beowolves as well, but those were normal no matter where you were on Remnant. Eventually though, other types of Grimm started to appear as well, such as Beringels and the Sphinxs that the team was worried about running across while on the train to Argus, but they were still able to hold their own fairly well.

Ruby herself was able to prove this point when she blasted a Sphinx off its feet, and then spun in to slice it into dust with her scythe, never once losing her proud smirk as she did. "Got him! Now who's next," she shouted.

Ruby failed to notice that another Grimm was about to get her from behind, but luckily, her partner had come to the rescue just in time with a bit of her regular Ice Dust. "Thank me later," Weiss called out to her as she skated past on her glyphs.

The former heiress then leapt upwards to cut down a few more Grimm with her rapier, before landing behind one that Yang and Blake were currently double-teaming against. Even after all the time that they had spent apart, it seemed the Bumblebee Duo of Team RWBY were still as strong as ever, and Blake easily proved it when she managed to snag one particularly stubborn Grimm with her ribbons after leaping in the air, and pulled it into a position that left it completely vulnerable for the finishing blow that Yang dealt soon after.

"Good to see you're not rusty," Yang playfully joked to her Faunus friend, much to Blake's appreciative amusement.

Team RWBY were not the only ones handling themselves well. The remaining three of Team JNPR were holding their own quite nicely as well. No one was surprised by the incredible teamwork that Nora and Ren displayed for everyone, but Jaune was certainly boasting a great deal of improvement when you compared him to how he was back on the first days at Beacon. Many a Grimm had ended up falling easily to the blonde boy's sword, and he was always one of the first ones there to save a civilian's life when he spotted someone in peril. Qrow was also doing his fair share of Grimm slaying, giving a prime example of his skills as a professional huntsman as he tore through the creatures, even as the fighting got more intense, but there was no hiding how little contribution Oscar was able to pay in the fight.

You could not blame Oscar though, as he was the most underequipped member of the group. Sure, he had gotten a lot better since meeting up with them in Haven, and his skills could get a significant boost if he were to allow Ozpin to take control, but he was determined to do as much on his own as he could. Besides, his main job at the moment was to keep the Relic of Knowledge safe, so if that meant he was relegated to less glamorous jobs like crowed control, he was willing to swallow that bitter pill. It was one he ended up swallowing quite a bit, because Oscar found himself ushering quite a few people to safety after batting aside any Grimm that got too close with Ozpin's cane, including one particular, elder looking store attendant with square-rimmed glasses.

"Jesus, it's like there's more and more of you superheroes showing up every other minute now! Not that I'm complaining, mind you; the world could always use a few more people that are willing to help out others," the man commented.

"Sure, if you say so, Mister," Oscar agreed as he helped the man to safety.

"Hey, none of that formal stuff, true believer. Just call me Stan," the man insisted.

Oscar merely nodded in response and then watched as the man rushed to join the other civilians in escaping, with Ozpin looking on as well. _"You know, there's something very interesting about that man,"_ the former Beacon headmaster noted.

"You think so," Oscar asked.

_"Most definitely,"_ Ozpin replied, and from the sound of his voice, Oscar had to assume his roommate liked Stan for some reason. Not that he disagreed.

Unfortunately, his moment of pause to speak with Ozpin was what ended up making Oscar miss the moment when they started to lose momentum. Not for lack of trying, mind you, but eventually, the number of Grimm started to slowly become far too much for the team to handle, and Ruby ended up being the one that served as the marker of their decline in being able to keep up. A very painful marker that consisted of her getting blasted into the air by a Sphinx's fire blast, and catapulted up towards a building that she was doubtlessly going to crash into before falling to her death. At least, that is what would have happened, had it not been for something very unexpected.

Instead of the building she was expecting to hit, Ruby found herself bouncing off of something a bit more springy before landing in what looked like a net of some kind. Upon closer examination though, Ruby saw that this thing was not a net, but a giant spider web. Naturally, her first thought was that she had been caught by some kind of spider Grimm, until her eyes were met with the wide, white lenses of a man in a red, web-patterned mask. Looking over the man who was now standing over her, Ruby saw that the web pattern did not even stop at his mask, but extended out to a good deal of a red and blue suit the man was wearing, and in the center of his chest, was a small, black spider emblem, showing that this guy had a very serious thing for spiders.

"Hey kid, I know that they say flying is one of the safest ways to travel, but last I checked, you kind of need to have at least a parachute, a jetpack, or even a small plane if you don't want to go splat, at least when you're flying at this height," the masked man playfully joked, and from the sound of his voice, Ruby had to figure that this guy was not very old.

"How did…what…who," Ruby stuttered, barely able to comprehend or figure out who this guy was.

"What's the matter? You look like you've never seen your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man before," the masked man stated. A loud boom turned their attention back to the situation at hand, and before Ruby could even think of moving, this "Spider-Man" guy turned back to her and stated, "You stay here. We'll handle this thing and getting your fellow strange cosplayers to safety." He then jumped down from the web they were on, shot out web-line to swing from, and shouted, "Web Warriors, go for it!"

None of the others seemed to have really heard the new arrival, but they soon took notice of his friends, starting when a girl in a white and black suit with a white hood, white mask that had the eyes outlined in dark pink, and a blue spider-symbol on her back suddenly swung in and kicked a few Beowolves away from Ren and Jaune. "Did he seriously just say that," this new girl asked. "He does realize that sounds like something from a really old Saturday morning cartoon show, right?"

"Hey, he's your husband, Ghost-Spider," another girl suddenly said before several Grimm were snagged and then pulled away from Qrow right when they were in mid-pounce. When the girl in question landed, everyone saw that her costume was all black, save for the white lenses of her mask and the large spider-symbol on the front and back, and left both her mouth and hair exposed for all to see, and even without seeing all of her face, it was clear that she was a little annoyed. "Dios Mio! It was just supposed to be a normal day, or at least as close to one as we can get anymore, and then this Kang guy just had to uproot the city to who-knows-where for what? Shits and giggles?" She then glared up at the sky and shouted, "Idiota!"

The other girls of Team RWBY shot this new girl a series of confused looks, leaving themselves open to several Grimm that were about to pounce on them were it not for yet another last minute save. Said save consisted of all those Grimm being zapped by what looked like a blast of red electricity, and when the monsters fell down, the source was revealed to be another man in a spider-themed outfit, his being red and black, with the spider-symbol being inside of a circle and looking like it had been painted on.

"Spider-Girl, considering that this guy just zapped the entire city to where or whatever this place is, I really don't think it's a good idea to be pissing him off," the newest spider cautioned in a very young sounding voice.

"Says you, Kid," Spider-Girl scoffed with her arms crossed.

Another stream of webs shooting down to capture more Grimm startled Spider-Girl back to the situation at hand, even before Spider-Man had dropped down next to her to do the same. "Hey, Spider-Girl, Kid Arachnid, how about a little less arguing, and a lot more thwipping? Do not make me take away privileges!"

"What're you, my dad," both Spider-Girl and Kid Arachnid asked at the same time. Not that they waited around for an answer mind you.

Nothing else was said between the four new arrivals, as they made quick work of the remaining Grimm, but not by killing them. Instead, they only seemed to either restrain the soulless creatures with their webs or just knocked them out with some hard punches and kicks. Sure, the knock-out blows seemed to stick, and they always made it a point to encase the unconscious monsters in more webs, but it was still a very poor choice that no huntsman worth their salt would ever try. Despite the bad call of not killing the Grimm, it was keeping the people out of harm's way, and not only that, but these spider people were also going out of their way to keep others safe as well, even at the risk of leaving themselves open to attack. They may not be the brightest huntsmen, at least in their methods of dealing with Grimm, but no one in the group was going to say that these strange people was lacking in selflessness.

When the last of the Grimm was finally contained, Qrow was sure that these guys were going to finally finish off the monsters. He was wrong; instead, they just left them there, not even seeming to care that these creatures could attract more of their kind here, while the one in red and blue, and the obvious leader, put finger to his ear to activate a comm. device that was hidden beneath his mask. That was a dangerous mistake, and given that he could see a few of the Grimm starting to stir, Qrow had no intention of letting others pay for it.

"Spider-Man to Avengers Mansion," the masked man called. "The Web Warriors and I have got things under control in the city, or at least as close to it as we can get, all things considered." He paused for a moment, listening to the person on the other end of his communicator, and seeming to not realize the danger of the creatures that were beginning to wake up and struggle against his and his teammates' webs, or how Qrow was drawing closer to one group of them. "You got it, Mister Stark. We'll be there as soon as we can," he confirmed a little while later, and he then turned to address his team. "Iron Man wants us to bring back one of these things for study, so we have a better idea of what we're dealing with in case more show…"

His sentence went unfinished, as a Beowolf finally broke free of its restraints and pounced at them with a loud growl. It would likely have sliced Spider-Man's head off had it not been for a quick blast destroying the Beowolf right when it was little more than a hair's breath away from him. Turning to where the shot had come from, Spider-Man was surprised to see Ruby smirking proudly towards him as she reloaded Crescent Rose, and said, "Guess that makes us even."

"And you can thank us even more once we've gotten rid of the rest of these guys," Qrow added on, already switching Harbinger into its shotgun mode and blasting several of the restrained Grimm at point-blank.

"Hey, hey! Whoa," Kid Arachnid shouted, snagging Qrow's weapon with his webs and pulling it away from the huntsman. He then leapt towards Qrow and kicked the huntsman away from the restrained creatures as he added, "That is not how we do things. Down. Town!"

The sound of a gun being cocked seemed to crack through the air, as the spider-themed people all turned to see Yang aiming Ember Celica at Kid Arachnid with a dangerous glare on her face. "I don't care if you missed a few classes at whatever school you went to, but if you have even the slightest clue of what's good for you, you'll move away from my uncle and let us finish off these Grimm, now," Yang threatened.

"And if you don't want me to put so much webbing in your hair that you'll have to shave your head, you'll point that thing away from friend," Spider-Girl threatened in return.

A tense stand-off then fell over the group, until Ghost-Spider got in the middle and cried out, "Okay, everyone just calm down! We're all on the same side, here, so let's not start the old cliché where heroes end up fighting each other over a misunderstanding, please?"

"Ghost-Spider's right," Spider-Man agreed, silently signaling for Kid Arachnid to stand down. "Besides, unless I'm guessing wrong, it sounds like you guys know a few things about these monsters."

"Doesn't everyone know about the Grimm," Weiss asked like it was the obvious topic in the world, which in a way, it was for her and her friends.

"The what," all four spiders repeated.

"The Grimm," Weiss repeated, only to get blank looks in return, which she could only assume were no different than the ones she had received just a second ago. "You know, the Creatures of Grimm; prowlers of the night; soulless abominations whose sole purpose seems to be the destruction of all living things, human or Faunus?"

"Yeah…Never heard of 'em," Spider-Man finally stated. After a brief pause, he then added, "And what's a Faunus?"

"You're kidding, right? You're looking at one right here," Blake pointed out, indicating her cat ears as she did. "And, aren't you all Faunus, too?"

"Uh…No," Ghost-Spider slowly replied. "We're just people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up getting spider powers because of it."

"How does that make any sense or clear anything up," Jaune muttered.

"Enough already," Qrow nearly shouted, having only just retrieved his sword from the webs that it had been stuck in. A sword that he was now point directly at Spider-Man. "What's Salem's game here?"

"Yeah, I'll do you one better: _Who_ is Salem," Spider-Man retorted.

"I'll do _you_ one better: WHY is Salem," Nora demanded.

Everyone just stared at the hammer girl after hearing her question, before Ghost-Spider shook it off and said, "Okay, here's a real question: who are you people?"

"Qrow Branwen; professional huntsman," Qrow identified, flashing his ID at the four for extra emphasis. "And you are…?"

"You're kidding right," Kid Arachnid asked. "We're the Web Warriors! Friendly neighborhood heroes of New York?"

"The what of where," Ruby asked.

Everyone was silent for a minute after that, until Spider-Man finally said, "Well, if that doesn't confirm we've got some weird dimension distorting going on here, I don't what will."

Right when everyone was about to question where he came up with a crazy idea like that, the sound of someone laughing really loudly echoed all around them, and their gazes were soon driven skyward, where they spotted a large projection of a man with blue skin, and decked out in a green and purple suit. It came as no surprise to anyone when he began monologuing not even a second after his image had fully formed.

_"People of Manhattan and beyond, I am Kang the Conqueror, and I welcome you to Chronopolis! A world of my creation, born from the thousands of civilizations that have fallen to my forces, and now, that includes yours and another from outside of your universe. Those who bow to me, do my bidding, shall be rewarded, but those who fail me will be cast aside. As for your so-called heroes, be they the fabled Avengers or any pathetic huntsmen, they shall find life a challenge in my world of worlds. Though if they wish to try and stop me, they are all welcome to try; for no one throughout time, in all of space, across the multiverse even, has ever been able to best me. ALL HAIL KANG! AHH HA HAHAHAHAHA!"_

"Chronopolis," Spider-Girl repeated.

"World of worlds," Ren added in equal astonishment. "What do you all suppose that means?"

Spider-Man was the one who provided an answer, but it was not to any of their immediate questions. "It'll have to wait," the web-head stated. "Wasp just sent out the signal for everyone to report back to the mansion." He then looked to the group of huntsmen before them and said, "And she wants us to bring you guys with us."

Seeing as they had no better options at the moment, Ruby and the others all agreed, and were soon following after the Web Warriors so that they could meet this Wasp person he had mentioned to them.

* * *

The trip to the mansion Spider-Man had mentioned was mostly filled with proper introductions and idle chatter in order to better break the ice, but by the time that the large group had reached their destination, the team of huntsmen felt that they had gotten a reasonable grasp of what the spider-powered heroes were all about. Apparently, they came from a world where the Grimm did not exist, and people could not gain powers by unlocking their aura, assuming that any of them could do that at the very least. More than that, while there were a few people with animal abilities and features, none of them were Faunus since there were none on the Web Warriors' world. That was not to say that they did not have people who faced similar discrimination; apparently there were people known as mutants and inhumans who were born with the potential to gain various kinds of changes and powers, and they all suffered a fate that was similar to the Faunus. Hell, from what they could understand, the mutants even had their own version of the White Fang, both in its good and bad days: the X-Men for the good days, and the Brotherhood of Mutants for the bad.

When they finally reached their destination, they were surprised to find that the mansion was just an actual, two story building. At least it looked that way on the outside, but upon getting inside, they found that there was much more to be impressed by with its sublevels, and so far, they had only seen what could be classified as a central command center. The room itself had a style that most of them could only assume was typical of a place in Atlas, but the overall vibe made the former Beacon students feel more like they were back at their old school. The other people that were already there waiting for them definitely helped to support that theory.

"Hey, this is quite a gathering," Spider-Man commented as they all entered the room.

"Glad you and your team could make it, Spider-Man," a man in a red and blue suit with a star on his chest and a shield strapped to his back greeted before turning to the visitors from Remnant. "You must be the huntsmen that the Web Warriors ran into. I'm Captain America, co-leader of the Avengers."

"Nice to meet you, Captain America," Ruby nodded in reply.

"Please, just call me Cap, or Steve if you want."

"Okay, sure. Anyways, I'm Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY."

"Wait a minute. Did you just say that your team's named after you," a man with a goatee and dressed in an all-black outfit asked. The really interesting thing about him was the glowing circle of light in his chest that his shirt was doing very little to hide.

"Uh, no that's more of a coincidence than it is intentional," Ruby clarified, knowing she would have to explain the naming conventions of huntsmen team names at some point later. "But it does get confusing sometimes. And you are?"

"Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, also a co-leader of the Avengers," the man waved in reply. "And can I just say, I'm really interested in the tech you guys seem to use. I'd probably even try to see if I could replicate it if I were still in the weapons business."

"And yet, I'm sure it's already giving you ideas for your next suit of armor," a woman in a yellow and black outfit teasingly finished for her teammate. "Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, and final co-leader of the Avengers. Though, a lot of my leadership duties lately seem to have me just coordinating our efforts from here at the mansion for some reason."

"Nice to meet you both," Weiss greeted politely. "I'm Weiss Schnee."

"Blake Belladonna," the cat Faunus picked up from there.

"And I'm Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's older sister."

"Then shouldn't your last name be Rose, or hers Xiao Long," Tony asked.

"We're half-sisters, actually. Same dad, different moms," Ruby clarified.

"Unfortunately," Yang muttered to herself, earning her a sympathetic look from Qrow.

"And the rest of you are," Wasp prompted, leading into the introductions for the rest of the group.

"Jaune Arc, leader of Team JNPR."

"Nora Valkyrie."

"Lie Ren, but you can just call me Ren."

"My name's Oscar Pine."

"And I'm Qrow Branwen; professional huntsman, and Yang and Ruby's uncle."

While the Avengers did not really react that much to Qrow and Oscar's introductions, there was a bit of recognition in their eyes at Team JNPR's that did not go unnoticed by a amount of the collective group. Not that they had the chance to question the superheroes about it, as Captain America had gotten right down to business. "Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, I have to ask if any of you know anything about Kang."

"Afraid not. Never even heard of him or of your world until we were just suddenly zapped here," Qrow answered on his group's behalf.

"What about those black creatures with bone armor," Wasp asked.

"That we do know a few things about," Qrow answered. "We call them the Creatures of Grimm; soulless abominations that exist for the sole purpose of killing all mankind. The only other thing we know about them is that they're extremely vulnerable to Dust."

"So they have allergies? Well that should make things easier," Tony joked.

"Not that kind of dust," Weiss instantly corrected, retrieving a Dust crystal from Myrtenastor as she did. "This kind; the kind that allows us to harness the elements for battle and provides fuel and energy for a number of our vehicles and weapons."

"Aside from that, we don't really know much more than the fact that they're attracted to negative emotions and other Grimm, so naturally, it's better to kill most of them as soon as possible. Any attempts at further study of the Grimm have never ended well for anyone, so it's better to just not try," Qrow finished.

The Avengers all exchanged looks with each other, before Cap looked to back to their group and said, "It certainly seems to line up with what we've been told, but it seems you're leaving out some key details."

"Like the fact that they have a master who goes by the name of Salem? Or how she's after some powerful artifacts called relics," Tony clued in with a knowing tone, surprising the huntsmen.

"Wha…Where did…How do you know about that," Qrow asked.

"An associate of yours filled us in when she appeared on our doorstep after Kang's little transportation of the city into Chronopolis," Wasp answered, waving to another end of the room, indicating a person that was just entering the room.

When they turned to face the person in question, everyone other than Oscar let out gasps of shock, and with good reason too. There, standing before them, as tall, proud, and beautiful as ever, and all decked out in her usual combat attire with her shield and sword holstered on her back, was none other than a familiar, red haired huntress-in-training that none of the former Beacon students thought they would ever see in the living flesh again. The same young woman that Ozpin had believed to be the perfect candidate as the next Fall Maiden, and who many had long since nicknamed as the invincible girl herself.

"P…Pyrrha," Jaune gasped in barely more than a whisper.

"Hello again," Pyrrha Nikos waved to her friends, just as cheerily as she always would. Right when she was about to add more to it, she was suddenly tackled by Nora in the tightest hug that the hyperactive powerhouse of Team JNPR could manage. "Uh…Nora?"

"You're okay! You're alive," Nora cheered, and for once, it was not in her usual, exuberant manner, but in one that was more subdued, yet still carried a much heavy amount of emotion that Nora only showed in especially serious moments.

Pyrrha seemed to become confused by Nora's statement, and that confusion only grew when Ren came over and asked, "How are you here? Did Kang somehow bring you into this time from past?"

"Uh…No," Pyrrha hesitantly answered. "I was brought from the present, just like the rest of you. What makes you think…?"

After hearing her answer, Jaune had started to think that Pyrrha was unaware of the fact that they were not still students at Beacon right now, until he got another look at the woman that he realized his feelings for too late and noticed something off about her. "Pyrrha, what happened to your eyes," Jaune asked.

"What do you mean? Have they changed color again," Pyrrha asked, sounding a bit more panicked at this question.

"Again," Yang muttered to herself, not noticing how Pyrrha had tensed a little at the sound of her voice.

"Jaune, what's wrong with her eyes," Weiss asked.

"They're silver, and last I checked, Pyrrha's eyes were green," Jaune informed them, much to everyone's astonishment.

Indeed, Pyrrha's eyes were no longer the brilliant green they all remembered her having, but instead, were shimmering, bright silver that was almost identical to Ruby's. While the others seemed pretty stunned by this, Pyrrha just glanced around at her teammates as she tried to explain the reasoning behind the change in her eye color. "Jaune, you know that my eyes have been this way since the Fall of Beacon. Ever since…since I failed to save her."

"You mean Penny," Ren somberly recalled.

"No. I mean…" Pyrrha started to say, only to stop short and turn pale as a ghost when she spotted a certain, red cloaked scythe wielder. "R…Ruby? Is that…Is that really you?"

"Huh? Why are you looking at _me_ like that," Ruby asked, only to jump a little when Pyrrha suddenly rushed over and grabbed her in a tight hug.

"It is! It's really you! Ruby, you're alive," Pyrrha softly sobbed, much to everyone's growing confusion.

"I feel like we have this backwards," was Ruby's first response.

As they continued watching Pyrrha hug the life out of Ruby while sobbing into said girl's shoulder, the implications of the redhead's earlier statement started to fall into place for everyone else, prompting several eyes to widen, while a number of jaws dropped. In the end, none of the huntsmen were able to say anything to express their shock, and ended up needing Spider-Man to fill the silence in order to break the tension here.

"Like I said before, a lot of dimension distorting going on here," the web-head commented.

* * *

General Ironwood had experienced many things in his life since becoming a huntsman, and after Ozpin brought him into his circle of trust, the general had expected and lived through many strange ones as well. Out of all those things though, Ironwood would have to admit that this whole Chronopolis situation was definitely took the prize of being one of the strangest, even without regarding his and Winter Schnee's current location. It was not that different from Atlas at first glance, being a highly-advanced, metropolitan city, but if you were to stick around and examine it more closely, you would see that it was even more advanced than what was natural for their home kingdom. The whole place was so advanced that it all seemed like it was from the future, and given what Kang's earlier claims during his announcement, the idea was not outside the realm of possibility. As disorienting as all of it was though, neither Ironwood nor Winter had gotten to where they had by being unable to keep a calm head, and they were doing just that after having sent out another ally of theirs to scout the area in an attempt to locate anyone else that they knew from back home.

While they were waiting, someone else ended up finding them, and he was certainly not anyone they knew. The same could not be said for him in regards to them. "Excuse me, General Ironwood, I presume," a middle-aged man in a smart business suit asked after approaching them.

"You would presume correctly, sir," Ironwood replied, thinking that this man might be a civilian from Atlas who had the misfortune of being pulled into this with them. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I can't really be of much assistance to any civilians at the moment."

"That's fine, seeing as I'm not a civilian," the man waved off, his smile never wavering. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Espionage and Logistics Division."

"That's…quite a mouthful," Winter noted, now regarding this Agent Coulson with a little more suspicion.

"Yeah, we get that a lot. Just call us SHIELD," Coulson suggested like clockwork. "Anyways, I'd like for you both to come with me. My boss wants to talk with you."

Like Winter, Ironwood was also regarding Coulson with a little more suspicion from the moment he gave his introduction, and while he would admit that they would have to consider finding allies that were from this place, he was not too willing to go to someone who knew about them before they had even met. "I'm sorry, Agent Coulson, but I'm afraid we'll have to refuse. We need to determine if any of our people are here, and I'd rather not leave the only one we do know about without a way to find us again."

"Well it seems like we have something in common, General, because I need to find a lot of my own people as well," a new voice stated from the shadows, prompting the two Atlesians to turn to the speaker just as he was stepping into the light. The man in question was black with obvious scars over the eye he kept covered by an eye patch, and even without the trench coat and all black attire, he managed to give off an aura that screamed bad ass. "Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. For the record, I told Coulson that you wouldn't come with him just because he asked, and quite frankly, given our current situation, we can't afford to waste time."

Ironwood had been a little shaken by Fury's sudden appearance, but he quickly straightened up again so that he could maintain his usual air of professionalism. After all, the man did give him an opening for a line of questioning he could follow up on. "What did you mean by 'having something in common'?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I've got multiple agents that went MIA when Kang pulled my New York into Chronopolis, and aside from Coulson here, I've only managed to track down three others. Plus, given the things we've seen out there, I think it would be in our best interest to form an alliance until this crisis has passed at the very least. Especially since I'm guessing you know a few more things about those weird monsters that we've been seeing all over this city," Fury explained.

"What monsters," Ironwood questioned.

His answer came not from Fury, but from Winter, when she spotted something heading their way and shouted, "GENERAL! We have Grimm closing on our position!"

Turning to the direction that Winter was facing, Ironwood found several of the soulless creatures barreling down the street, all of them being Grimm that were typically found in the kingdom of Mantle, and he did not hesitate to draw his side arms and begin shooting. Seeing his choice of action prompted Fury and Coulson to also draw weapons and open fire, but that was not the only thing that they did. Fury paused in his shooting at one point to shout something into a comm. device he had in his ear, but between the Grimm's roaring, his own shooting, and even Winter's own attacks, Ironwood could just barely hear what it was that the new arrival had said.

About part-way through the fight, Ironwood found out that it was actually a signal for backup, and he realized that when several arrows suddenly rained down from above and hit multiple Grimm at various points of their bodies. A minute later, a zip-line was embedded into the ground, and a red haired woman in a black cat suit dropped down with the archer who had fired the arrows, said archer being clad in a black and purple suit with a pair of sunglasses resting on his face and his bow gripped firmly in hand. Just after landing, the archer merely smirked in the direction of the Grimm and said, "Tick, tick, boom."

The arrows that he fired earlier could then be heard beeping before they finally exploded, taking the Grimm that they had been embedded into with them, along with a few others that happened to be close by, and with that, the new arrivals fully joined the fight. While the archer mainly stuck to fighting at a distance by firing more arrows, he did show he was capable of close-combat a few times. What really impressed Winter and Ironwood was that none of his arrows ever seemed to miss the targets he was aiming for, and given how difficult archery tended to be for some, let alone how hard it was to use in an encounter like this, it would be more a surprise if they were not impressed.

The redhead on the other hand, had no problem with taking any variety of approach against the vile servants of Salem, and she was very proficient in whatever method she chose to utilize against them. Between her utilization of her firearms and the electrified staffs that she easily spun around in her fingers when she got in close, the way this woman worked was a sight to behold. In fact, if Winter did not know better, she would say the redhead was a fellow Schnee, or at least a cousin of hers with the way that she practically danced across the battlefield. The Grimm did not even seem to so much as scratch her as she spun around and struck them down, and every strike she landed held a kind of precision that matched if not exceeded Winter's own, but even with these surprise reinforcements, they were still likely to be overrun at any moment.

Their chances saw some improvement soon enough when a laser blast suddenly sliced through several of the Grimm from above, indicating that Ironwood and Winter's ally had finally returned even before she landed amidst them. While her appearance seemed to confuse the SHIELD agents at first, they quickly became a little more awed when the ginger haired girl released her Floating Array from its backpack and sent the swords flying to cut down any Grimm that remained in just a matter of seconds. With the situation appearing to have been handled, everyone holstered their weapons once more, and regarded one another in silence for a few seconds, until Winter took it upon herself to break the silence.

"Very impressive. You certainly seem quite skilled, Miss…" Winter commented to the redhead that Fury had called in.

"Call me Black Widow," one Natasha Romanoff filled in for the Atlas specialist.

"Hawkeye's the name. Hitting every target I see is my game," the archer then introduced, right when the youngest member of the group had joined them, prompting him to stare at the young girl who now sported longer hair and a Victorian-era style dress. "And…is she with you guys?"

"Indeed she is," Ironwood proudly answered. "Allow me to present Penny Polendina, the Protector of Mantle."

"Salutations," Penny greeted in her usual, exuberant way.

"Yeah…Um, hi," Hawkeye replied uncertainly. He then turned to Fury and said, "Still no sign of anyone else, but we do think that there's a chance that Agent Venom might be somewhere in this area at the very least, given some rumors that we overheard, or maybe even one of the symbiotes."

"Well then let's cross our fingers and hope that it's the symbiote that's on our side. The last thing we need is to have to deal with Venom and Carnage," Fury grumbled.

"I don't suppose you had any better luck finding our people, did you Penny," Ironwood asked.

"Sorry sir, but I wasn't able to locate any of the Ace Ops," Penny apologized. She then brightened up a little bit as she added, "But I did find someone else from back home, and someone who said he'd be willing to help us out."

"And who would this person from back home be," Winter asked.

"Your father's competition for the open council seat, Specialist Schnee," replied a voice that Ironwood and Winter were both familiar with, prompting them to turn and see a young woman with tanned skin, violet eyes, and light-blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail, decked out in mostly green clothes, and with a crossbow on her left arm. All of these features and more made it easier to identify this woman as the hero of Mantle's people.

"Robyn Hill. As hard as you may find this to believe, I'm actually very relieved to see you for once," Ironwood admitted, his voice carrying that very relief as he spoke.

"The feeling's mutual, Ironwood," Robyn nodded in return. "It's certainly nice to see some familiar faces, and not anyone else that's swinging around and climbing up walls while dressing up like a child playing superhero."

"Don't think I don't know that was a slight against me, Robby. I know you're aware that I'm still right here," a playful voice cautioned, right before a man in a red and blue suit dropped down from above to land in the middle of the group in a crouch. "By the way, for those of you who don't know, I'm Spider-Man."

"…I'm sorry; you're who," Hawkeye asked.

"Spider-Man."

"Yeah…No. No you're not," Hawkeye immediately disputed. "Widow and I have worked with Spider-Man, and fought alongside of him, neither of which is necessary to know that you're not Spider-Man. You don't even have the symbol right; never mind the costume as a whole."

"I'm what you could call the local Spider-Man, but if you really want to avoid confusion, call me Spider-Man 2099," the web-head of the future clarified.

"Seriously? Another Spider-Man? Sounds like my worst nightmare," Fury grumbled, and it was a little hard to tell if he was joking or not.

"Is this going to be a problem," Ironwood asked, wondering if this Spider-Man was a threat.

"Shouldn't be. If he's anything like our Spider-Man, then he's definitely on our side, but you should probably expect more than a few bad jokes while we're with him," Black Widow cautioned.

"I thought they were pretty funny," Penny confessed.

"So if we're all done pointing out how subjective humor can be, I've got a place nearby that you guys can lay low and use as a temporary base or whatever the technical spy term is, assuming you're all still interested," Spider-Man 2099 offered.

It was not like anyone had any better ideas, and they all quickly moved to follow the web-slinger of Nueva York to his place, right when another Grimm suddenly appeared out of nowhere to make one last attempt at getting the drop on them. Thankfully it did not work, because someone managed to blast it into dust with a vibrational shockwave, prompting them to turn and spot another woman in a uniform similar to Fury's stepping onto the scene with one arm raised in the direction that the Grimm had just been in and a knowing smile on her face.

"Hey. What'd I miss," Daisy "Quake" Johnson quipped to her fellow SHIELD agents and the huntsmen of Atlas.

* * *

Even after all these years, Ghira Belladonna was normally a very calm, patient man. Yes, he was well aware how surprising that was given his appearance; it was not every day you met a man of his size that preferred a more peaceful approach over a violent one, but Ghira never was the type to follow stereotypes like that. Maybe that was another part of the reason why he had originally founded the old White Fang. Regardless of this, there were still times when Ghira's patience was tested to its limits. One such time would be during his interactions with that Sun Wukong boy that had followed his daughter home to Menagerie. Sure, that time was probably more due to his duties as Blake's father, but he would insist that the monkey Faunus was more at fault than anything else for their inability to get along most of the time. This time though, was definitely making its mark on the list of times that his patience was being pushed to the breaking point.

He was not sure how this had even happened. One moment he and his wife, Kali were on their way home to better start up the new movement for equality between Faunus and humans, with Ilia Amitola joining them as a leading representative of the new movement, and the next, they were suddenly transported into this strange place that Kang called Chronopolis. More specifically, they were in an area of Chronopolis that was literally a city in the sky: a city that they found out was called Attilan after meeting up with some of the people who actually lived here. The people in question were certainly a pleasant bunch, Ghira would admit that, and he was glad that they were willing to help them out with their current situation, even if it did mean that he would need to help them first, but most of the people that they had met afterwards were a very different story. Then again, the fact that most of the people that they ran across afterwards were enemies more than likely had something to do with that.

Thankfully, he was no stranger to dealing with robots; almost everyone in the White Fang had been forced to fight some variety of Atlas's mechanical soldiers whether they wanted to or not, even when he was in charge, so really, the only problem he had was how they just kept coming. "So much for starting a new movement for Faunus rights," Ilia complained as she stunned another machine with her whip sword.

"There will always be a time to start such a movement, Ilia," Ghira assured his daughter's old friend. He then used his claws to rip another robot apart, before having to throw another off of him when it foolishly tried tackling him from behind. "But I will admit I was looking forward to doing so more than this."

Kali was also having some trouble with their attackers, but she still managed regardless of that. She was not just a simple stay-out-home wife after all, as her skill with the gun she was currently using proved. Even in the midst of a battle though, she did manage to find some time to joke around with her husband though. "Makes you wish that Blake and Sun had stuck with us a little longer, doesn't it?"

"Blake, yes, but as for Wukong," Ghira growled before tearing up another robot.

"He _really_ doesn't like Sun, does he," Ilia noted to Kali.

"At this point, I'm pretty sure that it's more of an act on his part a good deal of the time. Sun is actually rather charming," Kali shrugged.

"Kali, please! Now is not the time," Ghira shouted.

"I couldn't agree more," a new voice interrupted, right before several robots were destroyed by a small blade attached to a long chain.

Turning to where the chain came from, the Belladonnas and Ilia all saw a tiger Faunus drop down from above and begin tearing through the remaining enemies with grace and speed that could only belong to one person. Or at least, only one person that they knew, and the form-fitting black dress with white pants that she wore certainly helped in confirming her identity, even if she was lacking the red cape that she had taken to wearing since she became the new leader of the White Fang. When the last robot fell, Ghira felt that this shocking arrival needed to be addressed right away, especially given what he knew about this person's current status.

"Sienna Khan," Ghira gasped, as the woman in question wrapped her chain weapon around her waist. "How…? You're alive?!"

"But that's impossible. Corsac and Fennec both received confirmation that she was killed in Adam's coup," Ilia protested.

"What coup," Sienna questioned with a dangerous tone. When she received nothing but silence in reply, along with a nervous look from Ilia, she went on to add, "I'm not sure what exactly is going on here. All I know is that I was preparing to have a meeting with Adam Taurus about his part in the destruction of Vale, and then the next thing I know, I'm here in this strange city, so I'll ask again: what coup are you talking about?"

It was at that point that things finally clicked for the Belladonnas and their young friend, and Ghira felt that there was no point in beating around the bush. "Sienna, that meeting happened at least a month ago. It was a setup that Adam staged so that he could seize power of the White Fang for himself."

"I never would've let that happen," Sienna insisted.

"You…didn't really have a choice," Ilia quietly admitted. "Adam killed you and then covered up what happened by saying that you were murdered by humans, making you out to be a martyr."

"What?! That damn bastard," Sienna growled. "I'll have his head for this!"

"I'm afraid you'll have to get in a line, Sienna. One that my daughter is right at the front of," Ghira informed the young woman. "Besides, we seem to have other problems at the moment."

"Yes…This Chronopolis place that the man called Kang has brought us to," Sienna recalled as she took a breath to calm down. "It seems that he was not bluffing when he said that he was drawing people from across space and time, if what you say is true."

"The fact that you're here when we know you to be dead for some time is certainly proof of that," Kali pointed out. "But, if we want to get back, we're going to need to confront Kang, and we'll need allies for that."

"Luckily, we've met some people that can help, assuming we're able to help them in return," Ghira revealed. He then glanced behind Sienna and smiled as he said, "And here they come now."

Approaching the four Faunus was perhaps one of the oddest collection of individuals that Sienna had ever seen in her life. There were two girls among the number, both redheads, but while the one dressed in yellow and black had hair of a reasonable length, the woman in purple had a wild mane that almost seemed like it was alive, and given the way that it was moving, there was a chance that it very well could be. The next one was a boy that Sienna almost believed was an aquatic Faunus of some type, but she quickly cast that off since he seemed for fish-like than human, and he walked alongside of what was perhaps the biggest dog she had ever seen. The final member, who stood at the front, was a man in all black that gave off a commanding presence not unlike that of Ghira's.

"Sienna Khan, allow me to introduce the Inhuman Royal Family, the rightful rulers of Attilan," Ghira introduced. "King Black Bolt, Queen Medusa, Princess Crystal, Triton, and Lockjaw. Your majesties, this is Sienna Khan, a former leader of the White Fang."

"Former," Sienna repeated questioningly.

"To be fair, the White Fang has been more or less abolished in our time," Ilia revealed.

"I find that hard to believe, since we've seen several men bearing the mark of that very organization, or at least what we believe to be that mark, based on what brief information you gave us, Ghira Belladonna," Medusa stated with a slightly accusing tone, though it was mostly directed at Sienna, given that she was the only one here who she and her family were not at least a little familiar with.

"I assure you, your highness, I have nothing to do with their presence. As far as I was aware, I was the only one in the White Fang's central stronghold that came here," Sienna promised.

Medusa looked ready to challenge that claim, when Black Bolt placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head in the negative. "Yes, you're right, beloved," Medusa agreed. "Now's not the time for questioning trustworthiness."

"Sir, I was able to see Maximus speaking with a man that I believe to be leading these White Fang people while I was scouting out the palace's defenses. If I were to describe him for you, might you be able to recognize him," Triton asked Ghira.

"Maybe," Ghira nodded, though it was still a cautionary warning that may not know the person. "What can you tell us?"

"He wore a white mask like the others, but it seemed a little more ornate than the others, almost like his was the very first. His attire was all-black, save for the white and red rose pattern on the back of his coat, and he carried a sword with a red blade in an interesting sheath on his belt. It almost looked like it was some type of gun."

"Anything else," Ghira asked, though it was with a bit more nervousness now. The description he was giving was steadily growing more and more familiar, but there was still one or two things that he needed to hear about before he was certain that the man was who he suspected it to be.

"Yes. He had red hair, and what looked like black horns on his head. Almost like that of an Earth bull," Triton finished.

That was the thing that drove it home, and just like clockwork, every single Faunus in the group was scowling in distaste, anger, or a similar emotion. "That's Adam Taurus, without a doubt. Though I'm not sure how surprising it really is that he would be working with Inhumans, given his animosity towards regular humans," Ghira confessed.

"Either way, it would seem that I'm going to be jumping ahead of your daughter's place in that line you mentioned earlier," Sienna noted.

"You'll have to get there before I do, Sienna," Ghira insisted with a near savage grin. It turned a little more playful as he added, "Assuming Black Bolt doesn't decide to have a word or two with him first, that is."

Black Bolt merely smirked in reply, proving that he had at least considered the thought, right when Medusa said, "It would likely be best for you to hope that you reach him before we finish having a word with Black Bolt's brother."

"And is that truly how your king feels? I'd much rather hear it from him, if you don't mind," Sienna informed Medusa.

"My apologies, Sienna Khan, but Black Bolt cannot speak. You see, his voice carries so great a destructive power, that even the quietest whisper could destroy a great deal of this city," Medusa explained.

"Well, something tells me that he'll be warming up his vocal chords for the conversation we'll be having in a moment," Ghira commented. "Now let's go liberate Attilan from both the White Fang and Maximus."

"Are you sure you wish to fight your own people," Crystal asked, sounding skeptical of this claim.

Ghira shared a look with Kali, Ilia, and Sienna before he replied, "It wouldn't be the first time we've had to fight in order to take back the White Fang, so I think we should be just fine."

* * *

In all her life, be it before or after she had decided to become a huntress, Coco Adel could honestly say that she had never experienced anything crazy than this Chronopolis place. Even the Fall of Beacon had a hard time competing with everything going on in this place, and that was while you accounted for the fact that she and her team had been captured by some weirdo in tacky armor called the Red King, and were about to be forced to fight for their freedom in his arena. She kind of doubted that he would actually let them go if they did win, but right now, it was not like they had any better options. Besides, getting in the ring would probably help them find some other way out anyways, so she doubted that there was too much to worry about.

"Hey kids," a rather friendly sounding voice called out, grabbing the attention of Coco and the rest of Team CFVY. Turning to the speaker, they all saw what they assumed to be a pile of rocks, until said pile actually moved and smiled at them while a large bug scuttled over and began clicking at them like it was trying to talk to them. "I'm Korg, this is Meek."

"Uh…Hi. Nice to meet you," Velvet waved, being the polite little bunny that Coco could not help but adore, even it did seem like even she was feeling a little weirded out by what they were seeing. "I'm Velvet, and this is Coco, Yatsuhashi, and Fox."

"So…what're you all in for," Korg asked.

"Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, apparently," Coco answered. "But, we're not staying for long."

"Oh, so you're planning to fight the champions, huh," Korg guessed.

"Something like that," Coco confirmed as she checked over the workings of her bag/minigun.

"Wait, did you say champions," Yatsuhashi asked, getting a nod in return. "How can there be more than one champion?"

"Oh well, that's a rather interesting story, but the short version is, no one's able to beat any of them, and when they tried to fight each other, they nearly destroyed the whole place, so the judges, or more accurately, the Red King decided to just name all of them the champions, which makes it harder for competitors to win their freedom, since they have to fight all the champions at the same time," Korg casually replied like he was just talking about the weather.

Velvet looked a little more nervous after hearing that, and even the reassuring pat on her shoulder from Fox did little to help with that. Maybe because she could tell the blind boy was feeling just as freaked out by that comment as she was, but at the very least, Coco was keeping her cool. "Has anyone here actually fought these champions before?"

"Doug has," Korg remarked as he turned to someone nearby. "Hey Doug! Come say hi to the new kids!" Everyone turned in tandem to where Korg was facing, only to find a lifeless body up against the wall, at which point Korg just said, "Oh right. Doug's dead. Everyone who fights the Red King's champions perishes."

"What about you? You're made of rocks," Coco pointed out.

"Perishable rock," Korg admitted. Almost right after he said that, the doors opened up, and the sound of cheering echoed into the room. When no one else seemed to move, Team CFVY took that to mean one thing and Korg quickly pointed it out. "Oh, looks like you're up."

"Great," Coco muttered under her breath. "Know what? Doesn't matter. We don't need to win; we just need to keep them busy long enough to find another way out, and then make a break for it when we do."

"Yeah, that sounds a lot like the last thing Doug said," Korg recalled fondly as he watched the young huntsmen and huntresses head up. "See you later New Dougs!"

Team CFVY did their best to ignore the chanting crowds around them, seeing as it reminded them a little too much of the Vytal Festival Tournament, which led them to remembering other events that happened at that time, and merely stepped into the arena with proud strides. They did pay attention to the man standing over everyone and acting as commentator, and given both his armor and his red skin, it was pretty easy to guess who he was.

"Greetings one and all! Witness the latest additions to the collection of the Red King: huntsmen and huntresses of that other world known as Remnant: Team Caffeine," Red King announced, not unlike how Professors Port and Oobleck would have during the Vytal Tournament.

"Hey! That's Team CFVY (Coffee)," Coco shouted up, annoyed by how he had messed up their name.

Red King apparently ignored them, as he merely continued on with his introductions. "Yes, they seem…somewhat formidable, but just how long can they stand against…the World Breakers?"

Right when he finished saying that, the four heard something banging against one of the doors on the opposite end of the arena, until finally, they came crashing open with several large, behemoths of men rushing out, all roaring angrily, two of which were green, with one who was blue with spikes on his shoulders and head, and the final one being red. The leading, green giant was the only one who spoke though, as he loudly roared, "HULKS SMASH!"

"…Still think we can handle this, Coco," Velvet nervously asked. She had never seen anything more frightening than a Grimm before, but these powerful looking bruisers definitely fit that description.

"Like I said before; no big deal. We just stay clear and keep them busy, and then bust our way out of here," Coco reassured her friend, still sounding as confident as ever.

"Not good enough you say," Red King suddenly asked the crowd, who Team CFVY had only just noticed were not sounding very satisfied. "Well then…what if we were to add the newest addition to our coliseum collection of fighters?" The crowd was definitely getting excited now, prompting the Red King to continue on. "Give it up for…"

Right when he was just starting to get into the swing of his intro, something dropped down from above, making the whole arena go silent as they waited for the dust to settle and reveal what it was that had interrupted the festivities. When it did, Team CFVY was met with the sight of a man with a shield, a blonde in a red and blue outfit with a star on her chest, what looked like a wizard in a red cape, and a Viking with a hammer. None of these people looked familiar to the huntsmen, but the other blonde girl and the black haired one with cat ears certainly did.

"Yang? Blake," Velvet gasped in surprise.

Turning to the rabbit Faunus, the Bumblebee duo of Team RWBY both grinned a little as Yang waved and said, "Hey Velvet! Coco, Fox, Yatsuhashi, great to see you guys."

"Where did you come from," Coco asked, wondering how they just suddenly fell from the sky.

"Believe it or not, a giant underwater city," Blake answered, earning her blank looks from her former upperclassmen. "It's a long story."

"And it looks like you have one that's just as long," the man with the shield commented. "Someone mind explaining to me why it looks like your friends are about to fight Hulk, Red Hulk, A-Bomb, and at least one or two other Hulks that I don't recognize?"

Coco looked to her teammates, who could not offer anything in the way of responses, and instead said, "Like you said, Shield-Man, it's a long story."

"Well, at least it will be a worthy fight," the Viking commented as he spun his hammer around in his hand.

"Oh, it will be more than worthy, Asgardian, and it doesn't stop with just the World Breakers either," the Red King promised. "Give it up for our surprise guests, ladies and gentlemen: the Avengers and their little friends!"

"Little friends," Yang and Blake both repeated, indignantly.

"But can these sudden reinforcements help Team Caffeine…"

"Team CFVY," Coco and Velvet both shouted this time, only to be promptly ignored.

"Against the terrifying, the deadly, the ultimate mother-daughter brawling duo themselves: The Branwens, Raven and…"

Before the Red King could finish, another door in the arena was blasted open, and as the smoke cleared, everyone saw the very familiar leader of the Branwen Tribe strolling out, with her helmet on. What came as an even bigger shock though was who was strutting out alongside of Raven. Sure, her outfit was different in the sense that it had a much more edgy feel to it, and looked typical of someone who was part of the Branwen Tribe, and her robot arm looked a little bulkier and spikier, but there was no mistaking that mane of wild blonde hair, or how her eyes matched up perfectly with those of Team RWBY's resident brawler when she was especially mad and using her Semblance at full strength.

"Guess who's back," announced a woman who was practically the identical twin to Yang Xiao Long, right to the point where even her voice sounded the same as Yang's, but with a much greater edge, and a lot less playfulness in it.

"Yang," Blake gasped in shock.

"What…But…Who…Huh…How…" Coco stuttered, her confident demeanor now shattered at the sight of a second Yang. "I am so confused right now."

Yang on the other hand just narrowed her eyes at her doppelganger as she commented to her partner, "I guess now we know why Silver-Eyed Pyrrha is always so on edge around me."

"Oh, so that redhead bitch is here too, huh," the other Yang asked, her voice suddenly turning more menacing as she spoke. "Good. That means that once I'm done here, I can go find her, and pay her back for getting my sister killed."

"That wasn't Pyrrha's fault," Blake tried to reason.

"Save it, Belladonna! I don't want to so much as hear your voice after how you up and abandoned me and everyone else," Other-Yang snarled, making Blake flinch back a little.

"She calls Blake by her last name," Yatsuhashi nervously noted.

Blake regained her composure easily enough, and calmly looked Other-Yang in the eye and said, "Well you're going to have to, because we're calling your bluff."

"What bluff," Other-Yang questioned.

"About how you're going to kill Pyrrha," Blake said.

Other-Yang laughed for a brief second or two, sending nervous chills up everyone's spines. "Oh, I don't want to kill her," Other-Yang dismissed before her voice turned as cold as ice. "I want to make her suffer. Her, and Ozpin, and everyone else that played us like chess pieces in a sick, twisted game. A game that got my sister killed, and let Nikos steal something that should never have been hers in the first place."

"Yeah, I'm with Blake on this. You're bluffing," Yang confidently declared. "No matter what universe or lifetime you're from, there's no way any Yang Xiao Long would ever intentionally harm a hair on her friends' heads."

Other-Yang was quiet, studying her doppelganger for a minute before she finally said, "You're right. Yang Xiao Long wouldn't intentionally hurt her friends." That brought some relief to the group, until they heard the rest of her declaration. "But in my world, Yang Xiao Long is dead, and she has been ever since her sister was killed by Ozpin and Pyrrha, and her so-called 'friends' abandoned her. My name…is Yang Branwen."

At that point, the sky seemed to turn dark, as an immense power seemed to emanate from Yang Branwen, but it was not until Yang and Blake saw a faint, fire-like aura appear around her eyes that they realized just what that power was. "You…You're a Maiden," Blake gasped.

"The Fall Maiden to be exact," Yang Branwen proudly declared. "And I must say, I think it suits me way more than it ever did Cinder."

Seeing the Fall Maiden's power in the hands of her twisted, evil doppelganger, and knowing that her mother had the Spring Maiden's power, whether it was her Raven or her evil twin's, Yang knew only one thing right then and there. "We might be in a lot of trouble."

* * *

As crazy as everything was, from being transported to Chronopolis, meeting several superheroes and the doppelgangers of some of them from other dimensions, not to mention the whole plan to stop Kang and set things right, it looked like they were going to pull it off. Sure, Kang had picked up some help from some of the other villains, both in terms of enemies that the Avengers had and villains from Remnant, along with Yang Branwen and her universe's version of Raven, and somehow even managed to convince Salem and her cabal to join forces with him, but that was not going to stop the heroes for so much as a second. Not when they had so many allies on their side.

Literally every hero that was so much as associated with the Avengers in passing was geared up and ready to take on this time/interdimensional-traveling conqueror, and accompanying them was Team RWBY and all of their friends and allies from back home. Everyone from Blake's parents and Ilia, to Winter, Ironwood, Penny, the Ace Ops, and Robyn, and of course, their friends on Teams SSSN, CFVY, and JNPR, with Silver-Eyed Pyrrha happily filling in the empty spot on said team. It did not stop there though, because there was one other group that they had met up with since coming to this strange world that had become allies with them, and no one was happier or more excited about this team-up than Ruby and Yang, save for maybe one or two of the people on that very team.

Qrow had already been planning to see this fight through to the finish with his nieces, but the last thing he ever expected was to be working alongside of his sister in that endeavor. Hell, after hearing how Yang had a run-in with the woman at the Sakaar arena, he was certain that it was going to be next to impossible, until their universe's Raven suddenly appeared to lend a hand with Taiyang at her side. He was still determined to have a few words with his sister about why she had the Spring Maiden's powers though, but none of that mattered more than the person standing before him, his sister, and his brother-in-law/brother-in-all-but-blood. It was a sentiment that each of his former teammates both shared, as it was instrumental in proving that they were truly standing together again with her at the helm.

Right there, at the head of both her team and the collective group from Remnant, and right alongside of Ruby, with her white cloak flapping in the wind, was none other than the late leader of Team STRQ herself, Summer Rose, back from the great beyond and ready to prove once again just why she was one of the best huntresses of her generation. More than that, she was especially eager to fight alongside of her daughter and said daughter's team, right to the point where you would think that she was actually Ruby's twin as opposed to her mother. As much of an insanity ride as Chronopolis was, this had to be at the top of the list on the few good things that came out of it, because it allowed Team STRQ, Ruby, and Yang to finally be reunited with Summer.

Glancing over at Captain America, Ruby received a nod in reply, indicating that he was more than happy to let her take the lead on this one, and as such, she proudly shouted out the signal for their final attack as loud as she could, "Avengers and Huntsmen…ASSEMBLE!"

* * *

_**AN: Whoo-wee! Now isn't this just packed with stuff for us to go over. This is probably much bigger than I had originally intended for a RWBY Meeting with anyone from Marvel, but I think it doesn't hurt to go big on the first run with such a thing. In case it's unclear, or if you just haven't seen so much as a trailer for the game, the story behind this meeting takes a great deal of inspiration from the video game LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2, with a few alterations here and there. One of those being that Spider-Gwen goes by her handle as Ghost-Spider in this story, and that Anya Corazon and Miles Morales have assumed their web-slinging alter-egos, and are part of a team of Web Warriors led by Spider-Man. And since it draws inspriation from LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2, it does include various locations and characters from throughout the Marvel multi-verse, including the world of 2099, Sakaar, Attilan, and more. I just showed you the stuff that is here, because that would take less time.**_

_**Another thing to note is that Marvel wouldn't be the only thing that would feature people from alternate worlds in this story idea, as we saw with the inclusion of Silver-Eyed Pyrrha and Yang Branwen. Those two are from the same parallel universe, in case that also wasn't clear, and it's a little head canon I have for a What-If world. This one being "What If Pyrrha Didn't Die at the Fall of Beacon?" Now for one thing, there would be a lot of changes from the RWBY canon. For starters, Pyrrha's fight with Cinder still went down, but unlike in canon, Ruby made it in time, and managed to push Pyrrha to safety before Cinder's last, fatal arrow struck. The downside: she ended up taking the arrow in Pyrrha's place, and as a result, an unknown ability of her silver eyes activated, transfering the power to Pyrrha.**_

_**Ruby: Okay, I may not know much about my silver eye powers, but I'm pretty sure that's definitely not a thing they can do.**_

_**AN: I'm well-aware of that, thank you Ruby, but I did say that this was a What-If world. Things are always weird and a little convoluted in those things. Just look at how out of whack things were in the what-if world we saw in that What-If arc from that one season of Agents of SHIELD. Ward was a good guy, Jemma was killed, May was an agent of HYDRA, Coulson was a teacher/conspiracy theorist, and let's not forget about Fitz going total crazy bad guy! Speaking of people going total bad guys, that leads us into what happened to that world's version of Yang. Keep in mind, a lot of Yang's decisions after Volume 3, at least in regards to where she went after getting back into fighting shape again, revolved heavily around Ruby, because even when everything else she had was gone, she always still had her sister. Take that away, and what do you think the end result might be? Here's my answer: Yang does get back into fighting shape, but only so she can avenge her sister's death by any means necessary, and who better to understand that kind of mindset than the "mother of the year" (he said sarcastically) Raven Branwen. One little chat later about Ozpin's secrets, and well, she wasn't looking for Raven so that she could be sent to her sister via Raven's Semblance.**_

_**Weiss: Okay, but what about the whole Fall Maiden thing? How did that happen?**_

_**AN: Well, let me ask you this: have you guys ever seen The Dark Knight?**_

_**Ruby: Uh Yeah! That was an awesome movie!**_

_**Yang: Like that was ever in doubt?**_

_**Blake: I really liked it too.**_

_**Weiss: I will admit, I do have a certain fondness for the film.**_

_**AN: Hey, you know something's good if it's got Ice Queen's approval.**_

_**Weiss: Hey!**_

_**AN: But moving on, remember that scene near the end between Two-Face and Gordon? You know, when he's threatening Gordon's family? Yeah, Yang did something like that to Cinder, just replace Two-Face with Yang Branwen, Gordon with Cinder, and Gordon's family with Cinder's tag-alongs.**_

_**Mercury: Hey! We are not tag-alongs!**_

_**AN: Dude, that's the nicest way I can describe you two at this point, because let's face it, you don't actually have much value to her after the end of Volume 3, and once she got her voice back again. Anyway, Yang basically tortured Cinder and her thugs like that...**_

_**Emerald: Okay, I think I liked tag-alongs better.**_

_**AN: Glad you feel that way Emerald, because, guess who Yang Branwen killed first.**_

_**Emerald:...Oh you have got to be kidding me.**_

_**AN: Well in fairness, and I don't mean to sound like a cold, heartless, horrible, irredeemable, monster, you know, like certain people we know. *cough* Salem and Raven *cough*.**_

_**Raven: Please don't lump me in with the witch.**_

_**AN: Are you all just going to keep interrupting me, or are you going to let me explain the What-If world I've envisioned for this story idea? [silence is answer] Thank you. Anyways, not to sound like a terrible person, but it does make sense that Emerald would be the last person in Cinder's thoughts, as far as girls go, and I've seen a story or two where that did actually happen, so Yang Branwen removed that obstacle, and then made certain that she was the last person in Cinder's thoughts, much like Cinder did when she attacked Amber. And to be clear, she didn't make it quick and painless. She made sure that it lasted, and that Cinder suffered, slowly, in ways that no human being could even hope to withstand without going mad...**_

_**Blake: Okay! We get it! Yang Branwen is basically what would happen if Yang's character development took a very terrible turn and led to her become a virtual monster! I don't think any of us want to think about it anymore!**_

_**AN: Sorry. Got a little carried away. Anyways, another thing you should also notice is that it did not stop with just Team RWBY and their closest allies. It would also include just about everyone from the RWBY world. Mainly the most major characters, which I mentioned in that last bit there. Everyone would be sporting their attire as it is up to the time frame of RWBY Volumes 4-6, with the exception of the folks from Atlas (Ironwood, Winter, Penny, Robyn, and the Ace Ops) who would have their Volume 7 attire. I'm a little undecided on whether or not the others who went through a style change in Volume 7 would get there's too or not (Oscar would get his new style while in Chronopolis, that's a promise), so let me know what you guys think if you think I should expand this into a full story. And yes, we would in fact see the return of the full Team STRQ, all from the canon RWBY universe, with Summer being brought from the past, and Raven being Post-Volume 5, and where I think her character probably went from the last time we saw her.**_

_**Yang: That would be something to see. Any chance that story would have a sequel that tells of how things play out for us after we get back from Chronopolis, like by having Silver-Eyed Pyrrha coming with us, or Mom?**_

_**AN: Uh...when you say "Mom", do you mean Raven or Summer? Just for clarity's sake.**_

_**Yang: And if my answer was both?**_

_**AN:...I'm not sure how to respond to that. But either way...such a sequel could be a possibility, but keep in mind, that would only be if I actually run this into a full-fledged story in the future. For now as always, that will be the most we get at a look for this idea, and as always, whether or not this or the others we've seen thus far become more than a story is up to all of you, my loyal readers and followers. Until the next Meeting...**_

_**Please read and review, and I'll see you again in the next colorful adventure!**_


	6. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

_**AN: Well, it certainly didn't seem to take too long before I updated this again, but then again, I guess you could blame this idea on the fact I had a certain theme song stuck in my head lately.**_

_**Ruby: Uh which version? The one from the classic 80s series, or one of the newer ones?**_

_**AN: The one for the series from the early 2000s.**_

_**Yang: Oh yeah, that is a good one!**_

_**Blake: What're you all talking about?**_

_**AN: You're about to find out with the rest of our regular readers and reviewers, Blake, right after Weiss gives us our little intro. That said, this Meeting would be for a story that, while it does technically take place during the events of Volume 7, it technically begins a short time before the beginning of the RWBY Series as a whole, and its an AU of the main series, where the visiting characters exist in the same universe and world as the RWBY characters. Take it away, Ice Queen!**_

_**Weiss: Hey! Ahem...Today, the heroes of RWBY meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.**_

_**AN: Ah yeah! Can I get a cowabunga?!...No? How about booyakasha?...No, not that one either? Oh, just go ahead and start the meeting. Btw, for extra effect, you may want to have certain tracks from the TMNT 2001 series playing at certain points in the chapter. You'll know which ones it will be when you get to them. Trust me.**_

_**I do not own anything from any of the RWBY franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

**The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles**

It was a long time coming, with many obstacles and hardships to stand in their way, but after surviving the second train crash in their lives, escaping a farm filled with the most terrifying Grimm ever, a hard-fought battle against the most arrogant little old lady they had ever met, and helping to save Argus from a massive Grimm, the collective group of Team RWBY, Qrow, Maria, Oscar, and the remainder of Team JNPR had finally made it to Atlas. At first glance, the city in the sky was a beautiful sight to behold, but when they took notice of the Atlesian defense fleet hovering in the sky in a formation that seemed like they were expecting an attack at any second, the view and the overall good mood had quickly turned sour, so it came as no surprise that they decided to land down in Mantle instead. Not that they could really land in an Atlas harbor to begin with, seeing as technically, the airship was still stolen, but seeing the fleet set up like that, combined with all the rest of the things that seemed to be going on from their viewpoints, it just seemed like an even better idea to avoid going straight to Atlas at the moment.

Seeing Ironwood making announcements on various screens did not ease anyone's nerves, as most of the things he was saying almost sounded like he was trying to maintain order in a city that was under martial law. Weiss was not feeling all that much better about things either when she saw Winter appear in those same videos giving a voice of support for what the general seemed to be doing, but that went without saying. Thankfully, they were able to find someone that could give them some help and answers about what had been happening in Atlas during the time that Weiss had been gone from her home kingdom, and as it turned out, he provided a lot more than that too. The person they ran into was not only the man who made and helped to maintain Maria's mechanical eyes, but he was also the same scientist who helped with designing Yang's prosthetic arm. Even more surprising was that he was also the father of their old friend, Penny, who was soon revealed to be back and better than ever, much to everyone's joyous surprise.

Finding out that Penny was alive was especially good news for Ruby, even if it did come with an overexcited tackle-hug from the synthetic girl. There was no denying that the young reaper had not been the same since seeing Penny die at the Vytal Festival, so seeing her alive and well brought a smile to Ruby's face that most of the others had not seen the likes of in a long time. Then again, it was not like any of them were much different. Sure, Penny was a little strange, but they had all come to consider her a dear friend, and seeing her alive and well once more brought a good feeling to them all that could most accurately be described as strangely wholesome, as Blake had described it. Too bad Penny's new job as the official protector of Mantle had her taking off to help people with a Grimm attack in another part of the city, otherwise they likely would have spent a little more time talking and catching up with the excitable girl. In short, despite all the ill-feelings that most of them had about arriving in Atlas after seeing the fleet hovering around it, things did seem like they were taking a turn for the positive for their little group, as Qrow himself could not help but point out.

"You know in all honesty, I was expecting things to go a lot rougher," the professional huntsman admitted with a genuine smile.

Clearly Qrow had forgotten in the midst of their feel-good-moment that you never say things like that unless you want to be jinxed, and this time was no different, as some of their group soon realized. Right when they were about to follow Penny's father back into his shop to get some more answers, Blake and Ren both picked up on something heading their way thanks to each of their enhanced senses, but before either of them could say anything, Oscar and everyone in JNR were suddenly wrapped up in thick chains, and thrown to the ground. Luckily, Blake was able to deflect the next round of chains, even with her damaged sword, and Qrow and the rest of Team RWBY were all able to avoid being tied up as well.

"Now what," Yang growled in annoyance.

Her answer came quick enough, as several individuals appeared from the shadows around them, each of them clad in the same uniform consisting of all black outfits that covered them from head to toe, with grey vests, boots, and gloves, masks with yellow eyes, and a single, red emblem on the fronts of their shirts that held the appearance of a three-toed foot-print of some kind. The moment they appeared, each of these black-clad warriors drew some form of standard, conventional weapon, ranging from swords, to sais, to sickles, to whatever other type of basic weapon you could think of, and most of them did not look like they were much more advanced that Jaune's sword.

While the others were left confused and bewildered by their surprise attackers' appearance and choice of weapons, Weiss ended up going a little pale at the sight of them, even as she held her sword at the ready for any kind of attack that may come. "Why…What are these guys doing here," Weiss wondered aloud with a faint trace of worry in her voice. "I thought they would've scattered and split up after…"

"Weiss, do you know these guys," Yang asked.

"Unfortunately. They're old enemies of some good friends of mine," Weiss revealed, surprising everyone.

"Well don't keep us in suspense, Schnee. Fill us in already," Qrow prompted, only to regret asking a second later when Weiss fulfilled his request.

"They call themselves the Foot Clan."

Hearing that name drew more looks of confusion on the faces of their friends, along with at least one or two disbelieving look to showcase that they could not believe anyone would choose a name like that for their group. Only Qrow seemed to understand at least a little bit of the weight behind that name. "The Foot Clan? As in the ninja assassin secret organization," Qrow whispered. "I've heard stories about them even when Raven and I were kids growing up with the tribe, but I always thought they were just rumors and make-believe."

"Trust me; they're very real," Weiss insisted with a scowl. "I still have a few scars from the few times my friends let me help fight these guys to prove it."

"You," a new voice interrupted, turning everyone's attention to yet another newcomer. This one seemed to be a leader for the ninja surrounding them, as he was the only one to wear something other than the standard black and grey uniform the others had on. He wore a black pair of pants, along with a long flowing set of blue and gold robes, with the gold parts holding a pattern similar to that of scales, while his arms were adorned with red armbands. His long red hair was allowed to flow freely, and the most notable facial feature he possessed was the golden, dragon tattoo that circled around the left side of his face. At the moment though, his eyes were locked firmly on Weiss in a heated glare as he gripped the gold staff in his hands a little tighter out of anger. "But how? I ensured you would not be able to return myself!"

"How could you have had anything to do with any reason why I wouldn't be able to come back, Khan," Weiss demanded.

The man Weiss had called Khan merely laughed as he replied, "It would seem you have been away from our conflict for too long, Schnee. You've forgotten just how far reaching my master's influence truly is."

"And you clearly suffered some type of brain damage when you got that tattoo, otherwise you'd remember that your master is dead," Weiss retorted in kind, aiming her sword at Khan, while discreetly tapping at something on her Scroll. Her teammates just looked between the two for a few seconds before readying their own weapons for use against either the various ninjas surrounding them or this Khan person. They may not entirely understand what was going on or what the two were talking about, but they did get enough to know that this guy was not a friend, and the same could be said for Qrow.

Khan looked ready to attack them all for Weiss's words, only to stop short when he caught sight of something nearby, and smirked deviously before standing straight and saying, "Are you so sure of that, girl?"

Weiss looked a little stumped by this sudden surge of confidence, but she shook it off, thinking it was just an attempt to confuse them and said, "Of course I am. I was there to see it happen when the guys finished him off. If he really was still alive, then why isn't he here with you? I'd have thought he would rather finish his enemies in person as opposed to hiding from them like a coward."

Khan just grinned wider upon hearing that, and then led the Foot ninjas in a respectful bow to someone behind the group as he said, "Perhaps you should think again."

Now even Weiss was confused, both by Khan's words, and about whom these creeps could be bowing to like that, until she and the rest of her teammates all turned to see a figure standing on a rooftop above them, clad in silver and black armor that was covered in sharp blades. The armor alone was a frightening sight, but the aura that this individual gave off held such an intense amount of evil and darkness, that it almost made each of them think that Salem or another large pack of Grimm had just arrived. Even then, only Weiss seemed to be the most frightened of the group.

"No…No, it can't be…The guys took him down. I saw Leo deliver the final blow," Weiss insisted in little more than a whisper.

"It would seem you are the one who suffers from a poor memory, Miss Schnee, for you forget whom you are dealing with," the armored man stated in a dark, rumbling voice that sent shivers even Qrow's spine. "I am Ch'rell, Oroku Saki, Duke Acureds, a destroyer of worlds!" The man then leapt down from the building so that he now stood before right in the midst of the collective groups, allowing them all to see him in his full, bladed glory, along with the burning, evil red eyes that shone out from his helmet. "The one TRUE Shredder! And I FEAR NO ONE!"

Just hearing that last name seemed to cause everyone in Team RWBY to freeze where they stood, but Qrow still held fast to his courage, even if he was shaking a little despite himself. "Yeah, yeah. You're real hot stuff; we get it. Let us know when we're supposed to be impressed, metal-head," he quipped.

Shredder seemed to regard the huntsman for a moment, before he finally said, "Ah, as I live and breathe. The infamous Qrow Branwen. I've heard tales of you and your skills, but now that you stand before me…I'm left rather disappointed."

That got Qrow pretty irked as he converted Harbinger into scythe mode and charged in to attack. "Well let's see I can't change that!"

"Wait, don't," Weiss tried to caution, but it was too little, too late, as Qrow had already engaged Shredder in battle.

It was a very short battle, as Shredder seemed to easily deflect or block many if not all of Qrow's strikes before finally retaliating with an impressive show of martial arts moves. The only thing that dealt more damage to Qrow was the bladed gauntlets that Shredder wore, as he made it a point to slash the professional huntsman with them as many times as he could. You would think that Qrow would hold some advantage, given his status as a professional huntsman, but as fast as he was, Shredder proved to be faster, and ultimately left Qrow lying in a heap on the ground, with his scythe reverting into sword mode again when he dropped it.

"As I said…disappointing," Shredder openly mocked after kicking Harbinger away and stomping down on Qrow's hand to add further insult to injury, earning a pained cry from Qrow when he did.

"Uncle Qrow," Ruby shouted in panic, and before anyone could stop her, she had sped forward in burst of red rose petals. When she brought Crescent Rose down, Shredder surprised everyone yet again with his speed and strength by blocking the blade of Ruby's trusted scythe right when it was within inches of his helmet, and it did not seem like he was trying.

Ruby was sure that she was about to be dealt the same kind of punishment as Qrow, but to her surprise, Shredder just seemed to stare at her for a few moments, before he finally commented, "Well, isn't this interesting…"

Before anyone could contemplate his words, Shredder was back on the attack, and coming at Ruby with a speed and ferocity that she had not faced since her encounter with Tyrian. Ruby did her best to keep pace with this armored freak, but Shredder proved too fast for her, and once he had disarmed her, Ruby was went down that much faster. As if to ensure this, Shredder suddenly waved his arms in an elaborate manner before his fists suddenly began vibrating rapidly, and he struck the young leader with them both, right in her chest, sending Ruby flying across the street. When Ruby finally came to a halt in her flight, slamming against the side of a building when she did, her aura seemed to have completely broken, and much to the others' horror, they could see her coughing up blood.

"A shame that you will never have the chance to live up to your potential, girl," Shredder stated as he slowly closed in on Ruby, only to stop when someone started shooting at him, forcing him to block the blasts with his gauntlet.

Turning to the shooter, Shredder saw that Blake firing Gambol Shroud at him in pistol, but not just as a way to keep him from getting closer to Ruby. No, she was also providing covering fire for her partner, allowing a very furious Yang to close in and hit Shredder with everything she had. "Stay away from my sister, you freak," Yang shouted as she unloaded several rounds of Fire Dust with every punch she threw.

If Yang thought any of her attacks were so much as making a dent in Shredder's armor, she was soon proven wrong, but the more frightening thing was that Shredder actually caught one of her last attacks in his hands. The really scary thing was that even after firing another blast to make him let go, he still did not flinch, and was soon slamming a powerful fist into Yang's gut, knocking the wind right out of her long enough for him to kick her right into Blake. With Team RWBY's best tag-team out of the picture, only Weiss was left to combat this armored warrior, and she barely hesitated for more than a second, but that was all the time that Shredder needed to ready a defense for her.

Still, despite his readiness for her attack, Weiss proved to be at least a little bit of a match for Shredder, as she managed to deflect, parry, and even counter more of his blows than any of the others. A few quick glyphs also helped her to stay ahead of him a little better too, but in the end, regardless of how much longer she lasted than her friends, Weiss still found herself going down very quickly, and was left to stare up at Shredder as he loomed over her in preparation to finish her off.

"Your new friends are pathetic, Schnee, and your old ones aren't here to save you this time. But don't worry. I'll be sure to let them know you at least died fighting. It's the only thing about this whole encounter that I found enjoyable," Shredder stated to her. "Any last words, girl?"

Weiss was silent for several seconds, and even glanced around for any sign of something that could get her out of this, until she finally just looked at Shredder and replied, "Actually, one word does come to mind."

"Then I suggest you speak it now, while you still have the chance," Shredder informed her as he raised his gauntlet in preparation to strike.

Despite whatever fear she felt, Weiss managed to gain some semblance of composure and looked Shredder right in the eye as she proudly said, "Cowabunga."

Everyone was quiet after that, with the Foot and Khan all giving Weiss weird looks while the others just stared at her in amazement. "Uh…Did you guys hear that too," Nora eventually asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Jaune admitted.

"Did…Did Weiss just say," Yang tried to ask, hardly able to form a sentence she was so stunned.

"Yeah. I think she did," Blake replied.

Apparently, Shredder was more stunned than anyone, as he actually lowered his guard a little as he looked at her incredulously. "What? Cowabunga? Why would you…?"

Shredder's answer came before he could finish the question, as something big and green suddenly came down from the rooftops and began taking out several Foot Ninja at a time, and from the sound of things, they were falling to several hard blows and slices. When Shredder turned to see what was attacking his forces, his view was soon met with the appearance of a two-toed, green foot as someone shouted, "In your stupid, metal face, Shred-Head!"

Shredder stumbled several feet away from Weiss before he turned to both the girl and his attacker, only to growl angrily once he saw who it was. There, standing over Weiss, were several, large turtles, each wielding a different weapon, and with the only distinction between them aside from their skin color being their different colored masks. One wearing a blue mask wielding twin katannas and holding a stance that made it clear he was the leader, one in a purple mask and holding a bo-staff at the ready as he analyzed his surroundings as quickly as possible, one in a red mask spinning a pair of sais in his fingers while glaring at Shredder and the Foot, and finally, one in an orange mask with a pair of nunchucks spinning rapidly in both hands as he grinned at all the bad guys in a way that said he was daring them to attack.

"Looks like you never learn, Shredder. We never leave our friends to stand alone," the blue masked turtle stated.

"Yeah, you'd have to be dumber than Mikey to think we won't kick the shell out of whoever tries to come after our pals," the red masked turtle growled.

"Hey! I'm right here, Raph," Orange complained.

"Believe me, we all know. Just like we know that this guy should've learned how to stay beaten after all the other times we kicked the shell out of him," Purple assured.

"Grrr! You will pay for your interference, Turtles! But I will admit, I'm glad you saved me the trouble of hunting you down. Now I can finish you off all the sooner," Shredder growled.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Blue stated. "Boys…"

"IT'S NINJA TIME!" All four turtles shouted as one, and with that, they leapt right into the thick of things.

What followed next was a brilliant display of skill and ability, as the four turtles took down several Foot Ninja, be it on their own, or by teaming up with each other. Not only that, but they even went after the Shredder and held their own far better than Weiss and the others seemed to when they were fighting him earlier. One could argue that they were only doing better because none of them were attacking on their own, and that they were all working together whenever they went after Shredder, as opposed to how the huntsmen had tried to attack him individually, but while most of the group was looking on in awe and surprise, assuming they were not nursing injuries like most of Team RWBY and Qrow were, Weiss just smiled in relief, almost as though she was happily reuniting with some old friends.

* * *

It was not until a few days later that Team RWBY was finally able to confront Weiss about their encounter with the Foot and the four strange turtles that had appeared to save them. They would have tried to at least talk with Weiss about it sooner, but between the suddenness of the attack's end, the subsequent arrival of the Ace Ops, who were more than happy to help get everyone medical attention before taking them to see Ironwood as opposed to acting like they were going to arrest the group like they had originally intended, the meeting with said general where he revealed his big plans on how to deal with Salem going forward, and of course, getting all new gear that they put to good use on a very important mission, they did not really have much time to really talk about many things in great detail. The fact that they had all been officially named huntsmen also might have made them forget about the incident for a brief time, but the matter still came up again when they next had some time between missions. When they questioned her about it though, Weiss merely said that it would be easier to hear it straight from the source, and then proceeded to lead her surrogate family to some secret location that only she seemed to know about.

Well, that may not be entirely accurate, because from what they could tell, Winter probably knew about it too. The reason they suspected this goes back to when they were meeting with Ironwood that first time in his office. He had asked them about the people who had attacked, and was subsequently left shocked when he heard that it was the Foot. Apparently, Ironwood had been trying to track the organization for a few years, more so recently ever since the Fall of Beacon, but when he asked them to explain why the Foot had left them alive, Weiss had interrupted and said that they had just left all of a sudden before anyone else could say anything. Ironwood had tried to press them for more information, even if it was mostly sounding like he was trying to get them to spill the beans on something he already suspected, but Weiss insisted that no one else had appeared. When Winter looked to Weiss for an explanation, the younger Schnee gave her sister a subtle look and wink that only Weiss's teammates and Qrow seemed to catch, and Winter's eyes widened just a fraction of a smidgen before she discreetly nodded back to Weiss and schooled her features once more.

Qrow probably would have taken some time to question Winter about what she knew, but he had been kept just as busy as the rest of them, if not more so given his status and skills, so Team RWBY found themselves settling for waiting until Weiss had the time to do this. They only had one problem with the whole thing, and it was a problem that they were surprised to find Weiss was not too bothered by.

"Remind me again why you're taking us down into Mantle's sewer system, Weiss," Blake asked for the third time they came here, her discomfort made just as clear by the look on her face as it was in the way that her cat ears were folding over. "I doubt I need to remind you that some of us have heightened senses that make this place far from ideal to be in, do I?"

"I'm sorry, Blake, but like I said, this is the quickest way to my friends' home," Weiss informed her.

"And you're okay with that? You, of all people," Yang questioned.

"What's that supposed to mean," Weiss questioned.

"Weiss, do you really need to ask? It may have been a while since we first met, but we all know that your attitude on certain locations has remained pretty constant," Ruby informed her partner with no hesitance or shame at all.

"Okay, fine. I'll give you that," Weiss conceded. "I do admit, I'm not fond of this place, but I have come to at least tolerate it a little. Plus, it helps knowing that we're in one of the cleaner parts of Mantle's sewers."

The other girls were about to ask what Weiss meant by that, but did not for two reasons. The first and most obvious one was that they were not sure that they wanted to know the answer, but the second reason, and more important one, was that they seemed to have finally arrived at their destination, and the sight of the place was actually pretty amazing. The location Weiss had led them to was a massive, circular chamber that looked like it was part of a huge, underground castle, with a small pond in the middle of the room that had a small red bridge going over it. In fact, one could be excused for thinking it was part of an underground castle, if they had not seen the large set-up of TVs on one side of the room, and the abandoned train car that looked to have been converted into a small lab of some kind. In another part of the room, they saw various kinds of training equipment from punching bags to training dummies, and there were a few rooms all around the circumference of the chamber, with one of them having a huge, screen door before it. They just glimpsed a relatively simple-sized kitchen through one of the doors, but they could not really see much into any of the other rooms from their current location.

Weiss allowed her friends to take in the sights for a few more seconds until she finally stepped forward and called out, "Hello? Anyone home? It's me, Weiss."

There was nothing but silence for a brief spell, until finally, an older, wise-sounding voice spoke up from somewhere close to them. "Hello Weiss. It has been far too long since you've paid us a visit."

Turning to the speaker, three quarters of Team RWBY went wide-eyed at the sight of a giant rat, standing upright and dressed in a brown robe with a walking cane in one hand approaching them with a small smile on his face. Blake especially seemed to have gone a little more tense, probably in an effort to keep her cat-like instincts in check, but while the others seemed to be surprised by this rat-man's appearance, Weiss lit up with brilliant smile as she turned and gave a respectful bow to him. "Master Splinter. It's good to see you again," Weiss greeted. "I've missed you and the others so much."

Master Splinter bowed in return as his smile grew a little and said, "And we have missed you, Little Huntress."

A faint snort of suppressed laughter suddenly broke the happy reunion's moment, as everyone turned to see Ruby covering her mouth to hide her smile, while Yang just grinned mischievously, and Blake smirked. "Little Huntress," Ruby teasingly asked.

Weiss merely rolled her eyes, knowing she was going to be hearing about this later on, but surprisingly, she gave no remark in return, as she simply turned back to Splinter. "I'm sorry for bringing outsiders with me, Master Splinter, but I wanted my friends…my family to meet you and the others. After all, family doesn't keep secrets from one another, right?"

"That they do not, my dear," Splinter agreed. "Truthfully though, I was expecting you to tell them about us sooner or later, after the encounter you all had with my sons and the Foot."

"You heard about that," Weiss asked in surprise.

"Naturally. You really think any true parent wouldn't find out about whatever mischief his children get into? Besides, you forget just how well I know my sons," Splinter replied with a knowing smirk, earning a faint giggle from Weiss.

Once her giggles had passed, Weiss decided to get right to the matter and asked, "Are the guys here right now?"

"Unless they have recently snuck out again, I do believe that they are," Splinter stated knowingly, and he then turned his attention out to the room at large as he called out four names. "Leonardo! Michelangelo! Donatello! Raphael!"

As Splinter called out the names, one by one, the four turtles from the other night appeared before them in various fashions, either by spinning onto the scene, jumping down from some unknown location, or in the case of Michelangelo, riding in on a skateboard. "You rang," Michelangelo asked once they had all gathered up.

"Yes I did, my sons, so that you could give a proper welcome home to an old friend," Splinter stated, waving to Weiss as he did.

Seeing the ex-heiress in questions, the four turtles all lit up with brilliant smiles on their faces, and the next thing anyone knew, they were all rushing over to give Weiss hugs, high-fives, and any other form of friendly greeting you could think of with brilliant smiles on their faces. Much to her teammates' surprise, Weiss actually returned all of that affection in kind, all the while beaming like no tomorrow. Sure, they knew Weiss had lightened up a lot during their time apart, but this was to a whole new level than they had seen from the Ice Queen up until now. Whoever these guys were, they were clearly very dear friends to Weiss, and seeing her reunite with them made the other girls smile happily.

"Well whaddya know. Miss High Society has finally come down to visit us lowly commoners," Raphael teased with a smirk.

"Nice to see you too, Neanderthal," Weiss teased back in kind.

"It better be nice to see us, considering how you never seemed to visit the last time you were here," Raphael pointed out.

"Sorry, but it was a little harder than usual to get away from home. I swear, my father was watching me like a hawk most of the time I was there until after a rather…unfortunate incident at one party," Weiss shrugged.

"You mean the one where you summoned a Boarbatusk to attack a rather stuck-up lady who was talking down on Beacon and Vale," Donatello asked.

Weiss started blushing a little out of embarrassment as she asked, "You heard about that?"

"Duh! Of course we did! It must've been so awesome finally pulling off a full summoning like that for the first time," Michelangelo praised.

"Circumstances aside, you really should be proud of that if nothing else, Weiss," Leonardo stated.

"Well…I suppose it was pretty exciting that I managed to do it, even if it was mainly on instinct," Weiss admitted.

"Yeah, that's our Snow Sis," Michelangelo cheered as he lightly punched Weiss's arm in additional praise.

Leonardo then finally took notice of the other humans that were in the room, and said, "Hey, weren't you three some of the ones we saw getting attacked by the Foot the other night?"

"Eh, we could've taken 'em if they hadn't caught us by surprise," Yang shrugged off. "Besides, it wasn't really much of a fair fight."

"And what do you mean by fair fight, young lady," Splinter asked.

"Well, there were a lot more of them, and they did just come out of nowhere after we had been fighting Grimm, so…" Yang was cut off in her explanation when something suddenly swept her feet out from under her. The next thing she knew, she was suddenly being pinned down by Splinter's cane, while the rat in question stood over her.

"Was that fair," Splinter asked.

"Wha…No!"

Splinter then smirked a little and asked, "Did I win?"

Yang was about to retort when she finally took note of everything that had just happened and finally conceded, "I see your point."

Splinter then stepped back and allowed Yang to stand again, as he said, "No one shares the same sense of honor and morality in battle, child, be it in competition or otherwise. As such, it is often unwise to seek fairness in battle. Only an honorable victory on your terms."

"Yeah, I've kinda taken notice of that," Yang stated, clenching her robotic hand when she did.

It was that action combined with her words that finally helped Raphael put a few pieces together, as he said, "Hey, yeah. Now I remember where I saw you before. You're that blonde chick from the Vytal Festival Tournament who got stronger with every hit she took, right?"

"Yep. That's me," Yang admitted, having a feeling she knew where this might be going. A lot of things may have happened since then, but she was still a bit worried about people recognizing her from what had happened after her match with Mercury.

Much to Yang's surprise, Raphael did not seem to really care about that. "Nice! Man, you knew how to really tear it up and kick some shell out there! Your matches had to be some of my favorites, and not just because most of them also had Weiss in 'em either."

"Really," Yang asked in surprise.

"Trust me, if anyone would like your fighting style, Yang, it would be Raph. He's a pretty huge hot head with anger problems on his own," Weiss stated.

"Hey, it's only a problem if you're the one who's pissed me off," Raphael disputed.

Yang gained a new smile on her face at hearing all of this, thinking that she was starting to like the turtle in red a good deal, but Blake ended up being the one to get things back on track. "Just who…or what are you guys? Because you're clearly not Faunus, or at least, not any that I've ever seen before."

"I can assure you, we're not Faunus, but there is a very real chance that we could be treated just as badly as you and other Faunus have been treated if we were ever discovered by the whole world," Donatello informed Blake. "Oh! No offense."

"None taken."

"Before we go into our story though, we would at least like to learn your names," Leonardo requested.

Ruby took this as her opportunity to step forward and said, "I'm Ruby Rose, team leader and Weiss's partner, and this is my older sister, Yang Xiao Long, and Blake Belladonna. Add in Weiss, and we're Team RWBY."

"You're called Team RWBY, and your name is Ruby," Raphael asked, beating his brothers to the punch on the question they were all wondering.

"Yeah, it does get pretty confusing sometimes," Ruby shrugged. "So, Master Splinter said your names were…uh…"

"Just call us Leo, Donnie, Raph, and Mikey if it would make things easier for you," Leo told her. "Weiss had a little trouble remembering our full names when we first met too."

"Oh, okay. Sure," Ruby sighed in relief. "But…that still doesn't explain what you all are, if you aren't Faunus. Are you like…some kind of aliens?"

"Nah, we're one hundred percent Remnant-born. But we do know a few aliens," Mikey revealed.

"You do," Blake asked, skeptically.

"Trust me, he's not kidding…for once," Weiss assured Blake. "It's a long story."

"That could be applied to a lot of things about us, actually," Donnie said.

"And you still haven't even answered our question on just what you are," Yang pointed out.

"Teenagers," Mikey stated.

"Mutants," Donnie continued.

"Ninjas," Raph added.

"Turtles," Leo finally finished.

Ruby, Yang, and Blake could only stare in bewilderment for a moment after that, until Splinter cleared his throat and said, "You may wish to sit down for the broader explanation."

* * *

After Splinter had advised Team RWBY to take a seat, the group had moved to the sitting area of the lair, and the girls were soon regaled with the story of the turtles and Splinter's origin. You all likely know the story by now: how one day, four baby turtles had fallen into strange, glowing ooze, were gathered up and brought to the home of a rat that was also covered in the same ooze, mutated into larger, more human-like versions of the animals they once were, and then spent the next few years hiding in the sewers as the rat known as Splinter trained the young turtles in the ways of ninjutsu for their protection. It may have been a tale as old as time, but it was still a fascinating story to Ruby, Yang, and Blake, who were hearing it for the first time. Ruby had even commented on how it seemed like an awesome superhero origin story, which got her into a brief run of excitement with Mikey over their shared love of comics, much to everyone's amusement and slight annoyance.

As fascinating as it all was, it still did not answer one thing for Team RWBY, and Yang was the first to prompt that question out. "How do you guys know Weiss anyway?"

"Now that's quite the story," Leo sighed fondly. "It was actually on the night when Master Splinter finally gave us permission to go topside, so long as we stayed out of sight and stuck to the shadows as we had always been told to."

"And it was the bomb," Mikey cheered. "So much fresh air, getting to see an actual city in person for the first time, and who could forget when we discovered the greatest thing to ever exist?"

"Dust," Ruby guessed.

"Nope."

"Beating down bad guys," Yang asked.

"Close, but not quite."

"Books," was Blake's guess.

"If by books you mean comic books, then still no. We'd known about them for years," Mikey waved off. When no one else offered up a guess, Mikey finally filled in the blanks for them. "Hello?! Pizza! What could be better than that?"

"…Seriously," all three of the girls who had been making guesses deadpanned.

"Hey, give us a break. We'd never tried pizza before that day, and most of the food we find down here ain't exactly the all that fresh," Raph shrugged.

"But pizza's not…" Yang started to say, only for Weiss to slap a hand over her mouth before she could finish.

"Not what," Mikey asked.

"Uh…Not as good as it is when you share it with friends," Weiss hurriedly finished for her blonde teammate. When Mikey appeared to be satisfied with the answer, Weiss turned to Yang again and whispered, "Yang, one of the first rules about Mikey is that you never, _ever_ so much as suggest that something could be better than pizza. The guys all love it a lot, but Mikey is especially crazy about it, so don't even think of saying that again."

Yang looked between Weiss and the orange clad turtle for a brief spell before she finally nodded in understanding, allowing Weiss to return to her seat so that Leo may continue the story. "Anyways, after we had all finished our first pizza, and spent some time exploring the city from the rooftops and shadows, we were just about ready to call it a night."

"And by that Leo means he decided to be a buzz kill and drag us back home so we could meet Master Splinter's curfew," Raph clarified.

"When suddenly, Donnie caught sight of something on the street," Leo continued on with a brief look to his brother.

"More accurately, some_one_, or two in this case. A couple of very beautiful girls that were just hanging out and spending time together, two of the prettiest I'd ever seen," Donnie clarified for everyone.

"Correction: they were the _first_ girls you had ever seen, or at least the first ones we had ever seen outside of pictures and videos," Mikey corrected. "And you're supposed to be the smart one."

While Donnie rolled his eyes at his brother, everyone else could not help but notice the faint blush that had appeared on Weiss's face, already giving her teammates a clue as to who the bo-staff wielding turtle was talking about and that she felt very flattered by such praise. "From where we were, it was pretty clear that the two girls were sisters," Leo carried on. "And they seemed to be having a fun time, at least until they were suddenly surrounded by what could only have been several ninjas, all clad in black."

"That was the first time we ever encountered the Foot Clan, and it was also the first time that Weiss had met them too, and from the look of things, they weren't there to make friendly conversation," Raph said. "The older sister, who we later learned was named Winter, tried to fight them off, but there were just too many for her to fight off on her own while trying to keep Weiss safe."

"Wait, Weiss, didn't you try to help Winter at all," Ruby asked, wondering why it sounded like her partner was not really doing anything in that fight.

"I had only just formally started my training to become a huntress at the time, and I had not really had too many lessons when the attack happened, so Winter felt it necessary to be a little more protective of me back then," Weiss explained.

"She wasn't the only one, either," Donnie said. "Sure, we knew Master Splinter's rules about being seen by others, be they humans or Faunus, but at the same time, we couldn't just ignore the fact that someone was in trouble when we felt we could do something to help."

"Not only would it have been dishonorable to just leave and act like we hadn't noticed, but it just didn't sit right with any of us, especially given that how often Master Splinter had insisted that we never use the skills he taught us to hurt others like the Foot were trying to at that moment, so we jumped in to help," Leo carried on.

"It didn't take too long to serve up an especially hard beat down to the Foot, and by the time it was over, we were ready to make like ninjas and vanish, but before we could, Winter caught us with one of her glyphs, and we were sure that we were in a lot more trouble than we probably would've been if Master Splinter found out we had exposed ourselves to someone," Raph then stated.

"She just tried to capture you, even after you guys saved her and Weiss," Yang gasped in surprise.

"To be fair, Winter had only just recently graduated and been inducted into the Atlesian military. That night was actually the last one that we were likely to have together, at least for a long time, before she shipped out on her first assignment, so she wanted to make it special for us. It was only natural that she was a bit more high-strung back then, especially given everything that had just happened," Weiss defended.

"Either way, we were shaken in our shells about what might happen, until Weiss stepped in and convinced her big sis to let us go," Mikey added. "The only downside was that we had to tell them everything about us, but after hearing our story, Winter and Weiss agreed to keep us a secret, but only on one condition."

"And what was that," Ruby asked.

"Winter asked that we would help Weiss in her training during her absence as best as we could. Granted the training to become a huntress is different from that to become a ninja in many aspects, but there were enough similarities that prevented it from being too unreasonable a request," Splinter answered on behalf of his sons and Weiss.

"And the rest is pretty much history. We helped Weiss improve her fighting skills, taught her a few ninja moves and important pieces of wisdom, while Winter handled most of the other stuff like Dust, Aura, and Semblances," Mikey finished. "Sure, she wasn't always that eager to come down here and hang with the coolest turtles ever, but we managed to get her out of that icy shell pretty quick with our patented variety of un-believe-able awesomeness!"

Weiss merely rolled her eyes at Mikey's comment while Raph looked to the other girls and said, "Lesson Number One: ignore most of what Mikey says. You're life will be that much better, especially in the case of his jokes."

"Don't worry. I've got one of my own, and trust me, it's a lot worse when they get it from one of your parents," Ruby assured him as she indicated her older sister.

This time, Yang was the one rolling her eyes, albeit with much more obvious humor than Weiss had, but before anyone could say anymore, Weiss decided to ask about something that had been bothering her for a while now. "How is it that the Shredder's back though, you guys? I thought you had finished him off during our last fight together."

"Yeah, how do ya think we feel? Made us feel a lot lousier whenever we thought about the victory party we threw afterwards for more reasons than we already had," Raph told her.

"Why? What could make a victory party feel so sad," Ruby asked.

"It ended up doubling as a Goodbye/Good-Luck-At-Beacon party for Weiss," Leo revealed. "We figured that it was only right that we send her off with some good memories of us that didn't include fighting for our lives."

"It was really sweet of you guys, too," Weiss told her friends. "I still kind of wish that you could've come with me when I left. It probably would've made a lot of things easier during our time at Beacon."

"Change can always be a challenging and scary thing, Weiss, but it is a natural part of both life and growing up that we must always face, and often times, the greatest rewards can come about when we face those challenges on our own," Splinter stated. "Though I will admit, a part of me did wish that we could have gone along as well, if for no other reason than out of an old rat's concern for one he has come to think of as his own daughter."

Weiss smiled a little more upon hearing that, and would have given Splinter a hug for the sentiment had it not been for the fact that they were getting a little off-topic. "Still, about the Shredder…"

"Right," Leo nodded. "Well, we only found out he was back a few months after you had left. With Shredder gone, the Foot was left in disarray, and a gang war had erupted all over Mantle with several people trying to get control of Shredder's old territory. We tried to do something to help keep it from getting out of control, but it wasn't until we got some unexpected help that it finally happened."

"Get this: turns out Shred-head actually had a kid of his own. A chick by the name of Karai, and she's good enough to go toe-to-toe with Leo, and you know how good he is," Raph revealed.

"Apparently, Karai had been overseeing the Foot's operations in Anima for a while, but when she heard that Shredder had been defeated, she came here to restore order to the Foot, and doing that would help bring the gang war to an end. To that end, she came to us and asked for help, with a promise that the Foot would leave us and our friends alone from that point forward if we agreed," Leo explained.

"She's done a pretty poor job of keeping that promise then," Weiss critiqued, her mind already going back to their encounter with Khan and the Foot.

"Believe me, no one's more disappointed that Karai could not keep her word than me, because I do sense that there's something different about her, and that she has a true sense of honor, unlike her father," Leo assured Weiss. "But we only really found out that Shredder was still alive when a squad of Foot-bots suddenly attacked us, and we decided to investigate why it appeared that Karai had broken that promise."

"Turned out old Shred-head had escaped by the skin of his teeth, somehow, and had decided to take a more subtle approach in how he does things. He's been hiding his operations behind acts of goodwill and 'legitimate businesses' for some time now, which has made it a lot harder for us to give him the beat down he deserves," Raph explained.

"Huh. Sounds like a classic comic book villain thing," Ruby noted.

"I know, right?! Like everyone knows the dude's a bad guy, but no one, not even the heroes can do anything to bust him because he's always covering his tracks so well," Mikey eagerly agreed.

"Which is why we've been doing whatever we can to at least cripple his operations, while keeping an eye out for evidence that we could hand over to the proper authorities without exposing ourselves," Leo carried on. "It hasn't really been easy, given just how good Shredder is at covering his tracks, and the way that Ironwood has beefed up security and surveillance all over Mantle has made it difficult for us to be able to just take a casual rooftop run without worrying about getting spotted."

The girls all nodded in understanding, given that they had seen just how bad the situation in Mantle appeared to be due to Ironwood's recent actions, and while they did agree with some of those choices, given that they knew the full, real reason behind them, they still found a few of them to be rather questionable at times. It did not help that their last conversation with Ozpin had left their entire team, including Ruby, hesitant to really trust anyone with very much, so it was not hard for them to understand why the turtles and their master would not want to risk exposing themselves right now. For all they knew, Ironwood could mistake them as some sort of abominations that Salem had created to send after them, and the last thing anyone needed right now was to be making enemies out of friends.

Realizing all of this, Ruby glanced to Weiss and the rest of their team, and asked, "Is there anything we could do to help?"

That surprised the five mutants quite a bit. They had been expecting Weiss to volunteer her aid once she learned about all of this, but they were not expecting Ruby or any of the other girls to offer to help just like that. "We appreciate the offer, Miss Rose, but we would rather not involve others in our problems more than necessary," Splinter attempted to refuse. "To be quite honest, if we could avoid it, we were hoping to leave Weiss out of this as well."

"I was involved in this the moment you guys were involved," Weiss insisted. "Family sticks together after all, and you guys are my family just as much as these three are."

"Besides, it's the duty of a huntress to help others wherever and whenever they can, and even then, we wouldn't turn our backs on someone in need if we can help them," Ruby added on.

"It's just not how any of us are built," Yang shrugged with a smile.

Blake merely smiled as she said, "Trust me, even if you guys said no, one of us, if not all four of us would still try to do something to help. Most likely Yang, Ruby, or both."

"What about Weiss," Donnie asked.

"I figured that it was obvious Weiss would help. Like she said, you guys are family to her," Blake pointed out.

The turtles and Splinter seemed to think this over for a few more minutes, silently discussing it with one another via an exchange of looks, until finally, the all smiled to the girls as Leo said, "Well, if you guys are sure…"

"Believe me, you'd have to go a long way to make us not want to help someone out if we can," Ruby assured the leader of the turtles.

Splinter then gave a thankful bow to the girls along with his sons and said, "You have our thanks then, Miss Rose." He then took another look at Ruby before he commented, "You know, I didn't realize this before but…You have silver eyes."

Hearing that comment gave Ruby quite a few flashbacks and she could not help but ask, "You wouldn't by any chance have known Professor Ozpin, would you?"

"No. I'm just very well read on the fairy tales and legends of the world," Splinter smiled in amusement.

Hearing that made Team RWBY exchange a few looks of their own between each other, silently debating whether it would be worth it or not to tell these guys about it, but it was only when Weiss gave them a hesitant nod that Ruby made the decision to tell them about the larger battle that they were fighting. Sure, it was probably not the best idea to tell these guys about that, but Ironwood was already planning on telling the world about Salem once Amity Tower was operational, so why not tell someone that could actually help them in the fight?

"Speaking of fairy tales and legends, what's your favorite one, because…there's something else that you guys should know," Ruby started off.

Just from the sound of her voice, the five could tell that this was a very serious matter, and were soon paying a very rapt amount of attention to the girls, even if they were a little skeptical of just how serious this could be. That would all change in very short order though, and by the time the girls had finished telling them everything, only Mikey was able to say anything to say in response.

"Ah shell…"

"This chick sounds like she's worse than Shredder," Raph noted.

"We know, which is why we need to find some way of stopping her, especially since the general's plan is so risky on its own," Weiss pointed out.

"Do not worry, Little Huntress. No matter what happens, neither you nor your friends will fight alone," Splinter assured her.

With that said, the turtles all put their hands in, prompting Team RWBY to do the same, as Leo stated, "From this day on, whether it's the Foot or this Salem we're facing, we've got each other's back, not just as friends and teammates. As family. As brothers and sisters."

That brought smiles to everyone's faces, because somehow, in that moment, they all knew that whatever came next, whoever they fought was going to get a taste of serious huntress and turtle power.

* * *

_**AN: Not bad, huh? Yeah, I'm sure we've all noticed by now how often a lot of these Meetings seemed to have had Ruby taking center of attention more than any other character, even when the cast of RWBY characters is especially long, so I thought it'd be nice to change things up and have Weiss be the extra important one this time. Makes sense though, seeing as the Turtles have made their home in Atlas.**_

_**Also to note is how this story could start before the main RWBY series. It would showcase the exact circumstances and events on how our favorite Schnee sisters met the Turtles and the subsequent adventures that Weiss and Winter shared with the Turtles, but given how many of the turtles' adventures would have taken place after Weiss left for Beacon, like learning of Shredder's return and their meeting Karai, I think you can see why I think it would be better to start it at the point you all saw here.**_

_**Weiss: Speaking of the Turtles, which version are we looking at here?**_

_**AN: The turtles and their allies and enemies design and characterizations is most heavily drawn from those of the ones from the 2001 series, aka one of the best Ninja Turtle series, which ended with the movie Turtles Forever. I'm sure you all know which one I'm talking about. I did my best to describe everything Turtle-related here, but I'm sure that you've all gotten the idea after I said that.**_

_**Ruby: So...what would happen after this?**_

_**AN: A few different things. There would be more encounters with the Foot, a moment of Team RWBY vs Karai as their first meeting with Shredder's daughter, everyone bonding with the turtles in one way or another, and all of it happening alongside the events of Volume 7, but with the latter would have a nice little Ninja Turtle change-up. Also, these turtles would have encountered the Utroms, the Tricertons, Professor Honeycut...well, you know about who the Turtles are friends and enemies with. The only difference here being that you should replace Bishop and his agency with Ironwood and the Ace Ops. Not gonna lie, I knew the Ace Ops were going to be trouble somewhere down the line from the moment they first appeared, so right back at ya...uh, Harriet, I think? Which ever one of them is the Wannabe-Flash/Reverse Flash.**_

_**Ruby: Seriously? Are you still bitter on what happened between us and them?**_

_**AN: Are you seriously telling me you aren't? Moving on...actually, that's about everything, aside from mentioning that this is just as much of a challenge for someone to take up as it is an idea that I had for a story, mainly because nearly all of the Ninja Turtle&RWBY crossovers that I've seen have all had the Turtles going on a little dimension hopping trip to get to the world of RWBY as opposed to the idea I've got here. I mean, I know the Turtles have had more than their fair share of trips through dimensions which makes the whole thing reasonable, but is there any chance we could mix it up a little bit with such a crossover?**_

_**Ruby: Yeah! I mean, we've got a theme song for it and everything!**_

_**AN: You do?**_

_**Ruby: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles~. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles~!**_

_**Yang: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles~!**_

_**Ruby: RWBY in a half shell! RWBY Power!**_

_**AN: Oh ha, ha, ha. Very funny. How about you come up with some new material for that little joke?**_

_**Ruby: Hmmm...Gladly.**_

_**AN: What?**_

_**Ruby: We've actually got a few lines for our own little parody of the 2001 series's theme song. Roll it!**_

_**AN: Wait, roll it? Who're you telling to...? Hey, HEY! No! Don't you dare...and he's already doing it...[sighs]**_

_**[play the 2001 Ninja Turtles theme]**_

_**Ruby: Huntresses count it off!**_

_**Yang: One!**_

_**Ruby: Ruby Rose is always in the lead~.**_

_**Yang: Two!**_

_**Ruby: The ice queen is...Weiss Schnee~.**_

_**Weiss: Hey!**_

_**Yang: Three!**_

_**Ruby: Blake Belladonna's the awesome Faunus of the bunch~.**_

_**Yang: Four!**_

_**Ruby: Count on Yang Xiao Long to throw the first punch~!**_

_**AN: Okay, that's enough of that now. [cue record scratch as Lyoko Prime stops the track] If we're all done being silly, I need to do the send off and let everyone know that we'll see them in the next Meeting. Until then...**_

_**Please read and review, and I'll see you again in the next colorful adventure!**_

_**Now then, which one of you wise guys keeps letting these girls into the music studio?**_


	7. The Power Rangers

_**AN: And we've got another one that just wouldn't stay quiet in my mind, so welcome back to another Meeting everyone!**_

_**Blake: Let me guess: this also takes place at some point between Volumes 4-7?**_

_**AN: Actually no. This time, it's RWBY Post-Volume 2, Pre-Volume 3 that this Meeting takes place.**_

_**Ruby: Oh, that's cool. I was starting to think all of the Meetings you were gonna do after that first one were gonna be taking place after the Fall of Beacon.**_

_**AN: Hey, some of my other ideas do happen before that, but to be fair, there are already a lot of things out there that take place either shortly after or right at the start of the RWBY series, so you can't blame me for wanting to go a different route and start things off at a later point in the story. You know, a point where things get really exciting and interesting?**_

_**Yang: You saying things weren't exciting or interesting at the beginning?**_

_**AN: No, I never said that. I'm just saying that things did develop into a much larger scale than it was at the start when things were just you guys fighting to save the city while attending school, and at the same time, allowing everyone to see more of Remnant too.**_

_**Weiss: Right...Well, what else can you tell us about this Meeting right now?**_

_**AN: Just that our guest stars are in the same universe as yours, just from another planet.**_

_**Yang: Not to criticize, but that seems to be a reoccurring thing with these Meetings.**_

_**AN: Well the whole other dimension thing has been done a lot already, so...Anyways, Blake, if you would?**_

_**Blake: I'm on it...Today, the heroes of RWBY meet the Power Rangers!**_

_**AN: Aw yeah! You heard it here, folks! Let's...Go go Power Rangers~! (Btw, you may want to be ready to have certain Ranger tunes playing at various points, but if you can just imagine them in your head as your reading, good for you, because I was doing the same thing as I was writing this)**_

_**I do not own anything from any of the RWBY franchise or any other franchise mentioned in this story.**_

* * *

**The Power Rangers**

It had all started as just another, ordinary day in Vale, or at least, as close to one as you could get with the Vytal Festival right around the corner and everyone still getting over the thrills of the breach. Regardless of the recent events though, thanks to the efforts of the local huntsmen and huntresses, as well as those of Beacon Academy and the intervention of the Atlas military, everyone was able to go about their days and preparations for the big celebration like they always would have. Stores were hosting huge sales, visitors from other kingdoms were eagerly exploring the kingdom, the festival grounds nearing completion in their setup, and most importantly, Amity Coliseum was now floating in the skies above Vale, ready to host the tournament that the students of all the academies would be competing in, much to the excitement of said students. Even with the recent Grimm attack, everyone was able to go about their business like nothing bad had happened. It probably helped that Roman Torchwick, the man who had reportedly been behind the attack was now behind bars too, but it did not matter what reason everyone had for relaxing and thinking that everything was going to be smooth, peaceful sailing after the breach. They were soon going to find out that it was all just the calm before a much different storm than any that had ever been seen before in all of Remnant.

No one knew where they came from or what they wanted, but it was clear what it was that the strange creatures who suddenly appeared from out of nowhere wanted: destruction and chaos. They came in many different varieties too. Some of them looked like bizarre rock monsters that formed from the ground beneath their feet, others seemed similar to some type of bizarre ninjas, and others still were clearly some type of robot that, while seemingly simple in the way that they moved and fought, were very resilient and strong, given that they were able to shrug off some serious hits when the police arrived on the scene to try and help. Even a few local huntsmen were having trouble with these strange invaders, and the Atlesian Knights that General Ironwood deployed to try and help the situation were not much help either. Whatever these things were, they were faster, stronger, and a lot more durable than any of the Atlas robots.

With such a disaster unfolding in the city, it was only a matter of time before Ironwood and some of the teachers and students of Beacon Academy had joined in on the battle in the hopes of turning the tide of this unexpected catastrophe, and among those students were the two teams that were quickly proving to be some of the best of Beacon's first year students: Teams RWBY and JNPR. Of course, there were a few others there as well, such as the second year Beacon team, Team CFVY, and of course the students that were visiting from other schools like Team SSN, but from what everyone could tell, it seemed like those two student teams in particular were caught right in the middle of where the fighting was at its worst. Not that any of them were complaining mind you; this is the kind of thing that they had been training for, but given how relentless these things were and how they never seemed to take a break or even give pause, it was only natural that the eight huntsmen and huntresses-in-training had started to get really tired.

Eventually, Ruby Rose and her friends were cornered alongside of Ironwood by a good majority of the invading forces, and while the red hooded reaper was not willing to go down without a fight, she would be foolish to not recognize just how low their chances were of coming out of it in one piece, if at all. Apparently, Ironwood realized this too, given the scowl on his face as he continued firing his gun at the enemy, but it was a fruitless effort all the same. At least in the way of getting the enemy to surrender, because instead, their resilience seemed to have earned them the attention of the leaders of this attack, and they were by far some of the strangest beings that any of them had ever seen.

The collection of villains consisted of a black robot with gold lining and red eyes, who also had a black gear of some type sticking out of his back, a man in a silver mask with a long black coat that gave off a ninja-like vibe, a woman who they could easily think was some type of insect Faunus given her bug-like appearance, a man who looked like he had gotten his skin burnt off and survived somehow, and finally, a rather demented looking woman in a form-fitting green outfit, with long black hair, and a gold staff in her hand. This woman in green was clearly the one in charge, as she was the one who signaled for the enemy forces to hold their attack as she casually strode over to the general and eight students, a twisted look in her eyes and an evil smirk on her face.

"Surely you've realized just how pointless it is to try and resist at this point. Our combined forces are just simply too much for your pathetic armies and huntsmen," the woman boasted, her voice sending shivers down the heroes' spines with every word she spoke.

Ironwood was more than ready to give a retort, but Ruby beat him to the punch. "Even if it does seem pointless, no true huntsmen worth their salt would ever back down from trying to do what's right. We don't care what you say or think. We will stop you, even if we've barely got anything left to try and fight with. You can bet on that."

The ninja man had chuckle sinisterly as he remarked, "Well, you have to admit that their spirit is admirable, or that at least hers is. It's almost sickening really."

"Agreed. It reminds me of those irritating Rangers," said the insect woman.

"All the more reason to eliminate them now, before they can become anything more than a pathetic annoyance," the skeleton man stated.

"Enough," Ironwood shouted, not liking the fact that they were being so blatantly insulted like this. He was a little intrigued by these Rangers that had been mentioned, but at the moment, he was more concerned with the enemies in front of him. "Just who do you think you people are, and what reason do you have for attacking innocent people like this?!"

"Our reasons are simple. Your kind are an inferior species that must be eliminated, much like any other humans that exist on this world, in this universe, or any other world where human life can be sustained," the robotic warrior commented with a voice that was somehow both cold and calculating, while at the same time vile and vicious.

"As for who we are, that is quite simple," the woman in green stated. "I am Rita Repulsa, sorceress of evil, and with me are some of the most evil and powerful villains in the galaxy: Lothor, dark ninja master; Trakeena, tyrant queen and daughter of Scorpius; Lord Zed, emperor of evil; and Venjix, the computer virus that had conquered an entire world. This Syndicate of Evil that I have assembled under my command has only one purpose: to conqueror or destroy the entire universe, even if it's one world at a time."

"Her command," Trakeena snarled, clearly not too fond of taking orders from someone else.

"Well better her than our Rita. At least this one actually looks like a credible threat and gives off the vibe of an evil being," Lothor muttered.

"Hey! Watch your mouth, ninja, unless you want to go back into the jar we found you in," snapped Lord Zed.

"Enough," Rita snapped. "Let's just destroy these pests and be done with it already."

The five villains all raised their weapons or arms up in preparation to unleash a final attack on the eight, and while Ironwood was able to stare them down in defiance, most of the young students that were behind him could only look on in fear for a few moments. Sure, they were training to be defenders of the world, and they may have had some experience in fighting villains, but this was probably the closest that some of them were really likely to be coming to death until now, and unfortunately, the general was not sure how they could get out of this.

Right when the villains were about to launch their attacks, Zed seemed to have sensed something coming towards them, and was quickly raising his staff up in an effort to deflect a series of laser blasts while the rest of the Syndicate tried to jump clear after deflecting a few blasts as well. A moment later, the laser blasts were accompanied by a thrown sword that somehow spun around back to its owner, who the huntsmen all turned to see along with the villains, just as the weapon had returned to their hand. What greeted them was a sight that gave Ironwood and the eight Beacon students a slight pause, while the villains all snarled in disgust.

"No! It can't be," Zed snarled. "Why are one of you here?!"

"You didn't seriously think bad guys like you could really get away from us just because you were attacking a world besides Earth, did you," was the immediate reply of the surprise savior. Said individual was a woman clad in a yellow outfit that had a rather obvious pirate theme to it, and a helmet that hid her identity from them all.

Lothor looked like he was about to retaliate with some of the ninja-like soldiers when something suddenly flashed past them all, slashing at them at a speed that probably rivaled if not surpassed Ruby's. When the fast moving object finally came to a halt, they all saw another warrior like the woman in yellow, only this man was dressed in a shinning, gold outfit that was navy blue on the sleeves and legs, carried a blue and silver tantō sword, and his helmet's visor was much more elaborate in its design from that on the helmet of the woman in yellow's.

"Now that's what I call a golden entrance," the gold-clad swordsman punned, unknowingly earning him a grin from Yang while the others silently groaned.

Venjix was about to order his robots to attack, when he and the machines were suddenly lasted by another set of lasers. The laser blasts were quickly followed by something slamming into the ground hard enough to cause a small earthquake attack that sent the robots flying, and it all came from a third mystery warrior clad who was dressed like the other two. Unlike them, he was dressed in an outfit that was mostly black, with white running down the middle, with silver padding on the shoulders, cuffs of his boots and gloves, a silver belt that had a holster for the blaster he was holding in one hand, and his helmet seemed a bit more streamlined with the silver mouthpiece on it clearly helping to sell the idea that he was outfitted for missions that included high levels of danger. He also wore an emblem that was a bit more noticeable than the other two, given that it was smack dab in the middle of his chest, and it looked like a silver, segmented oval with a diagonal slash running through it that was red on the top half and black on the lower half. Along with his blaster, he also carried a large hammer, which made everyone think that he had used that for the earlier earthquake attack.

"You know, I almost forgot how much of thrill this kind of action is," the black-clad warrior stated.

Trakeena was not looking too happy over all these interventions, but it looked like they were not done yet, as she and several of the rock monsters were suddenly blasted off their feet by an unnaturally strong, concentrated burst of wind that almost looked like a small tornado. When the focused whirlwind died down, it revealed another of these colorful warriors, this time being clad in pink. Once again, the outfit she wore had several features that made it stand out from the others, namely in the fact that her visor was shaped like a butterfly or some type of pixie, and the short cape she wore on her back that extended down to her gold belt which had another emblem on its buckle, and in her hands was a short, staff-like weapon with two silver prongs.

"Haven't you heard that it's never a party until the DJ can blow everyone away," the pink-clad woman asked as she spun the staff around in her finger tips.

Zed was ready to give a retort to that argument, when he was hit by another warrior moving at high speed, and this time, it was revealed to be a man in white. His outfit design also differed from the first four, as it seemed to draw more inspiration from a certain type of animal, and was even detailed with sharp-looking black stripes running over his shoulders and up his sides, while his gold belt had a symbol on it that looked like a sharp, three-toed footprint. Also unlike the others, his helmet's visor was not colored black, but red with black lining, and seemed to be in the shape of a creature's jaws. In one hand, he carried a short, white sword with yellow and black accents, which he currently had resting on his shoulder, allowing him to give off a very confident vibe.

"Who's ready to get prehistoric on some bad guys," asked the white warrior.

Lothor was now up again and ready to attack, when someone suddenly shouted, "Hey, heads up!"

All at once, Lothor was hit by several fast slash attacks, all coming from a light blue blur, which was soon revealed to be sixth colorful warrior; namely, a young woman in a light blue outfit. Her theme seemed to be similar to that of a ninja warrior, with her helmet's mouth piece matching the main color of her outfit, while the visor was outlined with gold, and on her chest was an emblem that seemed similar to a dolphin's tail. The only other colors in her outfit were the white of her gloves, and the silver sleeves and pants that she wore to help accent her ninja appearance. On her back, they could also see a black sword sheath, no doubt for the blade that she was currently holding in her hand, and somehow, a good deal of the huntsmen could tell that this woman in blue was glaring at Lothor more than any of the other villains.

Lothor seemed to recognize this as well, as he grumbled, "Oh no. Not you again."

"Believe me, I was hoping that I had seen the last of you for a long time now, Lothor," the blue-clad ninja retorted.

Venjix was now ready to go on the offensive as well, when he was suddenly blasted by several lasers, and he was blown off his feet by yet another one of these colorful fighters. This time a man in red, with silver gauntlets on his arms, a white color that led outlined a red triangle shape on his chest. Said triangle was in the exact same color and shape as his visor, which extended into a red stripe that went over and to the back of his partially black helmet with a silver mouth piece resting right below. In his hand was an intricate, white blaster that almost looked like it could be something from the future.

"I'd say we got here just in time," the red hero quipped while spinning his blaster between his fingers like a regular action hero.

Trakeena was the next one to get attacked by a colorful hero, and this one came in silver, slashing at her with an arm-mounted weapon that appeared to be part saber and part blaster. His outfit looked a bit like something someone would wear if they were going into space, despite its skin-tight design, and was accented with gold lining, with a series of green squares going along the front of the gold line around his chest, and since his helmet was the same color, it was a little harder to discern the silver mouth piece from the rest of his head wear.

"Man does it feel good to be back," cheered the man in silver.

Rita was spinning her staff around in preparation to blast any or all of these colorful heroes, when a green energy blast suddenly came rocketing into her and blasted her back into her evil allies. When she and the huntsmen looked to the one responsible, they were met with the sight of a warrior in green with gold armor on his chest and a dagger in one hand that looked almost like a flute of some kind. His gloves and boots were both white with pointed green stripes extending down from their cuffs, and he also wore a white belt that had a very noticeable, silver belt buckle. One of the most notable things about said buckle was the gold coin that rested in the center, and the fact that it held a symbol that was shaped like a rounded, three-toed footprint. Rounding out his look, was his green helmet, which had a silver lining around the black visor, silver mouth piece, and detailing on top of the helmet that almost looked like a set of animal eyes. A black weapon holster rested on the left side of his belt, no doubt meant to hold the dagger he currently held in his hands. More than that though, there was something about this particular warrior that stood out from the others; a kind of vibe that gave off a sense of strength not just in terms of power, but experience as well.

"Hey guys," the green warrior nodded over to the huntsmen while the rest of the new arrivals all gathered around him, silently confirming for everyone that they were all part of the same team. "Hope you don't mind us cutting in like this, but we figured you could use some extra help."

Ironwood and Teams RWBY and JNPR could only continue staring for a few more minutes, even as the team of newly arrived heroes turned their full attention on the invading villains, all of whom were glaring at said team with an intense hatred, until eventually, Nora ended up being the one to break the silence. "Who the heck are these guys," the powerhouse of Team JNPR asked.

"I don't know, but I like the suits," Jaune confessed, making everyone else turn to him with flat looks. "What? They look like awesome superhero outfits. How can you not like them?"

"Hmm…He's actually got a bit of a point," Ruby agreed, but she was the only one who did, as most of the others just shook their heads at the two. Well, Weiss rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed sound, and Ironwood looked back the colorful team of heroes with a suspicious gaze, but that was pretty much par for the course at this point for the group of friends and the general.

Meanwhile, the villains were all bemoaning their recent misfortune, even as the new arrivals began to dominate and destroy their forces with an ease that almost made it seem like everyone who had been fighting up until now were just throwing rocks at them while smacking them with sticks. "I thought you said that attacking a world besides Earth would ensure we wouldn't have to deal with any Rangers," Lothor complained to Rita as he continued to glare at the woman in blue.

"I knew this would happen. Even on other worlds, there's always Power Rangers to get in someone's way, but no, you fools just had to take the new and improved sorceress's word over mine," Trakeena snarled.

"Enough! I'll admit, I was expecting to have to deal with some form of Rangers at some point while we were here, but they're a little earlier than I had anticipated," Rita confessed. She then waved to the Rangers in question as she said, "There is some good news for us, and it's something even the most dimwitted of you should be able to realize just by looking at this team."

"And just what's that," Lothor demanded. "That we're going to be blinded by color, and the fact that there seems to be even more colors in this team than before?"

Lord Zed was the one who answered the question, having realized it just as quickly as Rita. "No Lothor, you fool. They're all Rangers from different teams cobbled together in one group. More importantly, none of them are even new Rangers. They're all Rangers that have already accomplished their missions and stepped down."

"Lord Zed is correct," Venjix announced. "Each of these Rangers have been inactive for various periods of time now, some longer than others, and without their regular teammates, they do not pose as serious of a threat as they normally would."

"Please, like I'm going to believe that, or did you not notice that one of them is the Green Ranger," Trakeena pointed out. "And not just any Green Ranger, but _the_ Green Ranger; one of the most legendary of all the Power Rangers, and one of the few who has been a Ranger longer than any other in history."

"I see my reputation precedes me," the Green Ranger commented, having overheard that part of the conversation, right when he had gotten a break between bashing down the foot soldiers to spare another energy blast for the villains.

This time, Lord Zed managed to block it, and then huffed, "Aren't you getting a little old for this, Green Ranger?"

"Like I told the last person who asked me that question, Zed: I may be old, but I can still pull it off," Green Ranger retorted. He then grabbed something on his belt and shouted, "It's morphin' time! Zeo Ranger V! Red!"

He then held the item he grabbed out in front of him, and in a flash of light he suddenly changed into a whole new outfit, this one being mostly red with white gloves, boots, and collar, gold accents, and a new helmet with a visor that was shaped like a five-pointed star. Apparently his costume change also came with a change in weaponry, as he was now using a full-sized sword as opposed to his earlier dagger, and the soldiers he was fighting suddenly started going down a lot faster than before. A quick pause in his attacks allowed him to draw a blaster that he then fired on the villains, forcing Rita and Zed to block the attacks as best they could, allowing Lothor to try and get in close. Too bad for the dark ninja master, this Ranger still had some tricks up his sleeve, as he proved when he changed again after shouting something that most of the others could not hear.

This new costume change granted the Ranger an outfit that seemed pretty similar to his first one, only this time his outfit was all white, and his armor was black with gold detailing, and a whole new emblem emblazoned on the center of his armor. Once again, his weaponry had changed, only now, it only included a curved sword with a lion's head on the end of the handle, and it seemed that he was especially skilled at wielding this particular sword, given the way he spun it around as he battled with Lothor. He eventually fired a blast of white energy from the lion's head on the sword, forcing Lothor away from him and cementing just how unprepared the villains were for the intervention of this Ranger and his teammates.

"We can't win like this," Zed informed Rita. "We need to retreat for now!"

"Fine! But rest assured, this is far from over, Power Rangers. We will meet again, and you will fall, even it's by my hand alone. After all, unlike most of these fools, I've killed Rangers before," Rita promised.

With a wave of her hand, Rita somehow conjured a strange, red energy that zapped the Syndicate and their forces away, much to everyone's surprise, including the Rangers'. "Whoa! What just happened," the Gold Ranger asked.

"I don't know, but it looked like they used an invisi-portal to escape," the White Ranger commented as he glanced at the one who was originally wearing green. "By the way, Dr. O, you look really good in white."

"Thanks," the multi-colored Ranger replied before he used his device to change back into a Green Ranger again. "But we've got bigger problems to worry about, and we can't deal with them by just standing here wondering how this Syndicate of Evil found this world's version of the invisi-portals."

"Right," the other Rangers all nodded, and they were just about to take off when Ironwood finally approached them.

"Hold it," the general shouted, getting the Rangers' attention. "Who in the world are you people and what just happened here?!"

"Sheesh. That how you thank everyone who saves your life," Silver quipped.

"Considering how you just happened to show up right when you were apparently needed, I think you can understand why anyone would be suspicious," Ironwood countered, clearly not in the mood for any jokes.

"And apparently rude, too, because where we're from, most people introduce themselves before asking, or in your case demanding for a person's name," Black easily shot back.

Ironwood had to take a deep breath in order to better calm his nerves, if for no other reason than to avoid pulling a weapon on these people. He knew it would be a bad idea to so much as suggest trying to arrest this group after so many people witnessed them saving lives and fighting off the Syndicate's forces, but that did not mean that the temptation was not there. "Fine, if you insist," Ironwood conceded. "I'm General Ironwood of the Atlesian military and headmaster of Atlas Academy. More importantly, as of this current time, I'm in charge of ensuring the safety of the people here in Vale while the Vytal Festival is going on. Now, may I finally get some names?"

"You can call us the Power Rangers, and you could say that we're living proof of the fact that heroes really do come in all colors," Green Ranger announced on behalf of the group.

That was not quite what the general was going for, but he had a feeling that it was the best he was going to get. He was about to push for some more answers when Ruby suddenly appeared between him and the Rangers, clearly about to give them a few words of her own. "Well, whoever you guys are, we really owe you for helping us out with those guys, so thanks a bunch for that."

Even though you could not see their faces, it was still apparent to everyone that each of the Rangers found Ruby's attitude much more likeable, if not endearing than Ironwood's, even before Green Ranger replied to her thanks. "You don't need to thank us. We're just good friends who want to do what's right." He then paused for another minute, studying Ruby a little before he turned to her friends to do the same, and then looked back at her when he finally asked, "That said, what's your name, kid?"

"Uh…Ruby. Ruby Rose," the young reaper replied.

"Nice to meet you, Ruby, and I get the feeling we'll be seeing you again pretty soon," Green Ranger nodded once more before raising his wrist up to speak to an unseen communication device. "Alpha, bring us back aboard the Megaship."

Before anyone could realize what was happening, the nine Rangers were all encompassed in a light that matched their respective colors and then teleported away from the former battle site, right before everyone's eyes. Once they were gone, no one could help but stare up in the direction that the beams had shot off in, wondering just where the Rangers had gone to, or even where they had come from in the first place. Both of these questions and more were racing through everyone's minds, be it in regards to these strange new heroes and the villains that they had just chased off, until finally, the silence was broken when Yang said, "Well…that was a thing."

* * *

A few hours later saw Ironwood, Glynda, and Ozpin gathered together in the Beacon headmaster's office to discuss the recent attack. Of course, it was less of a discussion of the attack, and more along the lines of Ironwood going on about the people who had intervened to save everyone, and how little he trusted them. Really, it was ridiculous how much of a hypocrite he truly was when it came to this matter, preaching on about the trustworthiness of others when it seemed like he did not trust anyone other than his robots, and it was certainly wearing on Goodwitch and Ozpin's nerves.

"And then they just…teleport away as though it were the simplest thing in the world? Something that the very invaders we were dealing with had done barely even five minutes prior! How does that not come across as suspicious to anyone," Ironwood carried on, sounding less like a general, and more like a paranoid conspiracy theorist.

"Yes, James, we are all very much aware of how suspicious you are of these Power Rangers. Thank you for making the point so _efficiently_ clear," Goodwitch finally snapped, unable to take any more.

"No one is saying that they are above suspicion, but the fact remains that they did save many lives just now, and were much more effective than many of our best defenses were against this Syndicate of Evil as they called themselves," Ozpin intervened before any more infighting could go on. He had no intention of seeing Ironwood turn himself into even more of a machine than he already was, even after their recent fall-out in the aftermath of the breach. "If anything, we should at least be grateful that they stepped in when they did, but until we can find some way to locate and speak with them, it's pointless to really be throwing around accusations and baseless theories."

"Baseless," Ironwood repeated incredulously. "Oz, how is it baseless to be wary of someone who just happened to show up in response to a threat as swiftly as this. It's just too great a coincidence to be true."

"I'm not saying that I don't feel the same way," Ozpin assured the general. "But you forget, James, we don't have any proof to sway things one way or the other. We just don't know enough about these Power Rangers to really say for certain if they're friend or foe, so why act like they're enemies before we've done a proper investigation into their background?"

"Perhaps I can be of some help with that," a new voice interrupted, startling the three teachers, as they were not aware of anyone else being in the room with them. Naturally, they all readied their weapons in response, but when they saw the speaker in question, they all had to give pause, especially given the way he reacted upon seeing they way they were preparing to attack him. "Aye yi yi! No! Don't shoot! I come in peace, and would much rather not leave in pieces," cried a red and gold robot with a domed head and a single red light running around the center of said head acting as his eyes.

"What in the world…James, is this robot one of yours," Goodwitch asked.

"Believe me, if it was I would know," stated Ironwood.

"Hey! I'm right here, you know. There's no need to be rude and act like I'm not," the robot snapped, startling the teachers with how human it sounded.

"Our apologies. You simply took us by surprise," Ozpin slowly said.

"How did you even get in here," Ironwood demanded, not dropping his hostility in the least.

"I teleported in, of course. How else," the robot snipped in return.

Upon hearing that, Ironwood's first thought was of some of the robots that were attacking the city earlier, at least until Ozpin took notice of the flashing lightning bolt emblem that was on the robot's chest. "That's a very interesting emblem you have on your chest," the Beacon headmaster noted. "And if I were to make a rather wild assumption, would it be too much to guess that you hold some relation to the ones who saved the city earlier today?"

"Not at all, because you'd be right," the robot confirmed. "Tommy thought it would help if I came along to aid in his explanation of the crisis that your world is currently facing."

That gave the three teachers pause once more, before Goodwitch asked, "And who is this Tommy?"

Right when the robot was about to answer, Ozpin's computer sent him an alert to let him know someone was at the door, and while the other two were hesitant about letting anyone in right now while there was an intruder present, Ozpin was sure that the people he knew were waiting outside would be able to handle themselves if this machine were a threat. "Come in," Ozpin called.

Just seconds later, Teams RWBY and JNPR all stepped in, with Ruby speaking up on behalf of the group. "Sorry we're late. We thought it would be a good idea to do some quick repairs on our weapons in case something else…" She stopped short when she noticed the robot, and immediately wide-eyed with the rest of her friends. "What the heck is that?"

"Oh, hello there," the robot waved, startling the students a little more.

"Uh…Did that robot just say…?" Jaune slowly started to ask.

"Yes, I did," the robot confirmed. "Alpha 6 at your service, kids."

Unsurprisingly, Ruby recovered first, and happily waved hello back. "Hi Alpha 6. I'm Ruby, and this is Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren."

"Nice to meet you all, but please, just Alpha is fine."

"Ruby, are you sure it's smart to be giving the strange robot our names like that," Weiss hissed to her team leader.

"Oh don't worry. I'm not much of a fighter really. I'm just a simple talking robot," Alpha reassured Weiss, showcasing just how good his hearing is.

"And he was just telling us that he is an ally of those fighters that aided you saving the city earlier today," Ozpin filled in.

"What? You know the Power Rangers," Nora exclaimed, expressing everyone's shock in an instant.

"Indeed I do. I've known many different Rangers, of many different colors and teams. After all, it's part of my primary mission: to aid the Rangers in their quest to protect the universe from the forces of evil. One goal, one team, known as the Power Rangers!"

"Protect the universe," Pyrrha repeated in awe.

"That's a really big place," Yang whispered in the same manner, and the rest of her friends were not too far behind.

"But how do can we believe that it's true," Ironwood demanded, now a little less hostile than before. Ozpin and Goodwitch were pretty sure it was only because there were students present at the moment.

"Because we're here to ask for your help," another new voice said, and upon turning around, they all saw a man in black with a sharp, three-toed emblem on his chest become visible to them. A second later, the man's outfit changed into that of the Green Ranger, instantly telling them who he was, and he said, "Sorry about that, but I figured that I should be present when Alpha announced himself on the off-chance that you did actually attack him. I'm not too fond of my friends getting hurt."

Everyone could only stare at the Green Ranger in surprise for a minute, until Ren finally asked, "How many of those outfits do you have?"

"That one you just saw was the last of them," Green Ranger stated. "But technically I've been five different Rangers over the years. I just don't retain the fifth one since that was also the time when I passed on the power to my successor, the second Red Turbo Ranger."

"Fascinating," Ironwood muttered. "But perhaps now we can finally learn your real name and those of your teammates' as well?"

"I was fully intending on telling you that any ways, because like Alpha said earlier, we need your help if we're going to save your world from the crisis it's facing," Green Ranger stated. He then raised his wrist and said, "Rangers, time for the introductions."

The next thing anyone knew, Ozpin's office started to feel a little crowded as the other Rangers from earlier that day all suddenly appeared in the room with them. Right after they had appeared, Green Ranger moved to stand with them, and as one, they all shouted, "Power down!"

Just like that, the Rangers' outfits disappeared, revealing the people beneath the helmets. A good number of them were decked out in some variety of a fancy uniform, such as the Black, Blue, Pink, Silver, and Gold Rangers, while the others wore simple casual attire that had a noticeable amount of their Ranger color in it. However they may have dressed though, one thing was for certain: they each had a look to them that showed that gave off a feeling of heroism, and showed that they were very experienced in their work as heroes. After letting their audience take in their appearances, they began running through their introductions.

"My name's Gia Moran, and I'm the Super Mega Force Yellow Ranger," the first woman who had appeared to aid the huntsmen earlier that day announced.

"I'm Antonio Garcia, the Gold Samurai Ranger," a young, Mexican man introduced, his outfit being mostly black with gold lining, while his Ranger team's emblem was worn on the right side of his uniform.

"The name's Will Aston, Black Ranger of Operation Overdrive," said a young, black man who was decked out in a black uniform with black lining and his Ranger symbol on the right side of his jacket.

"I'm Vida, Mystic Force Pink Ranger. Not my first choice of color, but you learn to like it," was the next girl's introduction, and from what they could tell, her uniform looked like something a sorcerer would wear, or sorceress in her case.

"My name's Trent Mercer, and I'm the White Dino Thunder Ranger," announced the next young man in the line-up, and the second Ranger who was dressed in casual attire.

"I'm Tori Hanson, Ninja Storm Blue Wind Ranger," stated a girl was dressed more like a ninja than either Blake or Ren.

"Wesley Collins, Red Time Force Ranger. You can just call me Wes, though," said the man who had been wearing the red hero suit a moment ago, though he was now decked out in a simple red shirt and blue jeans.

"My turn," the Silver Ranger almost cheered, and from what they could tell, his uniform looked comparable to the ones that Ironwood and some of his soldiers would wear. "I'm Zhane, the Silver Space Ranger."

"And I'm Doctor Tommy Oliver, the Mighty Morphin Green and White Rangers, Red Zeo Ranger, and Black Dino Thunder Ranger," the leader of the group finally announced.

"Whoa, you've been a lot of different Rangers," Ruby whispered in awe.

"That's not too surprising. Tommy's one of the original Power Rangers, and one of the best at that," Wes praised, and it seemed that his teammates all shared the sentiment if their grins were any indication.

"Is that right," Ironwood asked, his voice carrying a hint of how impressed he was of that detail.

Tommy simply smiled with a modest nod of his head, showing that he was not really one to brag about that type of thing, but it still left one thing unanswered. "What is this crisis that you're here to save us from," Ozpin asked.

"It's a long story, and to truly understand it, we need to tell you the history of the Power Rangers from the beginning," Tommy explained. "Alpha, if you would?"

"Right away, Tommy," Alpha confirmed, and he then made his way to Ozpin's desk. After getting the okay from the headmaster in question, Alpha placed a device down on the desk, connecting it to the main computer of the office, and activating a holographic view screen that everyone in the room was able to see.

"What you're about to see are images that I've compiled over the years to detail Ranger history, both my own, and that of the other previous teams up until now that I'm aware of. Normally its part of a video diary I created that someone should only view in an emergency, but since this is the most recent one, I haven't had the chance to add in the narration, so I hope you don't mind if I just give it myself," Tommy stated. The minute he had finished speaking, literally everyone from Remnant had gathered around to get a better view of the images that they were about to see, and Tommy took that as his cue to begin the story. "This story begins many years ago our home planet, known as Earth, in the city of Angel Grove…"

From that point forward, Tommy regaled the huntsmen with everything about the Power Rangers. How the being known as Zordon of Eltar assembled a team of teenagers with attitude to become the original team of Rangers in response to the return of the evil sorceress, Rita Repulsa, their many battles that followed afterwards, the story behind how Tommy got his original Ranger powers and started out as an enemy of the team before being freed from Rita's evil spell and joining them, then later lost his Green Ranger powers and gained those of the White Ranger shortly afterwards, and all the battles that he and his team of Rangers fought over the years. He also mentioned how some of the original Rangers eventually had to leave for various reasons and pass on their powers to new members, along with the changes that their powers, weapons, and abilities changed during their time, right up to when he finally retired from his original Ranger days after he and the rest of the old team had passed their powers on to a new group that would then go on to save the entire universe from some of the greatest evils of their time.

It did not stop with what Tommy referred to as the Zordon Ranger Era, either. Tommy's recap of Ranger history went on to include an abridged story of each Ranger team that came after that era as well, starting from the tale of the Lost Galaxy Rangers. The group was amazed by the various changes that had taken place in the Power Rangers with each new team, but what they found even more incredible was how no matter what changes was made or who was in each new line-up of Rangers, they all maintained the same mission of protecting the universe from evil. From the heroic Lightspeed Rescue team, to the time traveling defenders from the future that were the Time Force Rangers, and the animal-powered guardians of the Earth of the Wild Force Rangers. Not to mention the Dino Thunder team that saw Tommy returning to Ranger duty once more, the high-tech adventurers of Operation Overdrive, the generation-spanning Samurai Rangers, and right down to the mighty Mega Force team that eventually discovered how to harness the powers of the Rangers that came before them. It also included a more recent team, who called themselves the Power Rangers Ninja Steel, but at that point, they had all felt like they had learned everything they needed to know. After all, the Ranger team before them did not seem to include anyone from that team, so why bother paying that much attention?

As fascinating as all of this Ranger history was, it did still leave a few things unanswered, mainly because there was something that many of them quickly took note of: the enemies that each Ranger team faced were destroyed in one fashion or another. That fact and at least one other raised a few new questions that had to be asked, and Goodwitch was the first to do so.

"If all these villains were defeated by one of these past teams, then how are they here on Remnant now, and why did the woman claiming to be Rita look so different from before," the deputy headmistress asked.

"Well, that's where things get a little more complicated," Tommy admitted. "You see, the Rita that you all met today isn't the same one that my team and I fought against years ago. She's a different version of Rita from another dimension."

"Another dimension? Like as in a parallel universe," Ren inquired.

"But I thought that was just a myth," Weiss interjected.

"Because it is. It's nothing more than the stuff of comic books and fairy tales," Ironwood insisted. His comment earned him a pointed look from both Glynda and Ozpin, mostly due to the fairy tale part of it, but he could only offer a silent shrug in response.

"I'm afraid I have to respectfully disagree, General. As you've probably noticed, the Rangers have experienced many things that you would think impossible in the past," Tommy pointed out.

"Yeah, like how my team was mostly made up of guys that were from the future," Wes reminded everyone. "And they wouldn't have even been able to access their Ranger powers if I hadn't been able to unlock their morphers for them."

"That said, we don't really know too much about this new Rita. What we do know is that she was defeated by the Power Rangers of her universe, and as a result, she was sent hurtling through space, until she fell through some kind of wormhole that brought her into ours," Tommy picked up from there. "Afterwards, she started using her powers to gather up some of the worst villains in our universe for her Syndicate. It didn't matter if they were destroyed or not; if there was some way for her to bring them back, she found it and used it. Best example would be how she managed to find a small sample of Trakeena's life energy that was left over from her final battle against the Lightspeed and Lost Galaxy Rangers, and used it as a basis to bring Trakeena back."

"Or how she somehow found a way to get to the dimension that Venjix comes from and brought him here," Antonio added on.

"As impressive and fantastic as all of this is, it doesn't explain why they came here to our world," Ozpin finally stated. "If these villains all have such a history with the Power Rangers, why attack a world that has no Rangers to speak of whatsoever?"

"It's actually because of that very reason that she came here," Trent revealed. "Rita somehow convinced the villains that it would be smarter to build up their forces by attacking other worlds, ones that didn't have Power Rangers to defend them, and then come back to Earth with an unbeatable army."

"She figured she'd start here because she found out about one thing your world has that others don't: soulless creatures that drawn to negative emotions and seem to spawn from tar-like pits of what could only be described as pure darkness," Gia continued from there.

"The Grimm," Jaune whispered.

"You think the Syndicate wants to try and take control of them," Pyrrha asked.

"Either that or find out how they're created so that they can make their own. Both are pretty likely possibilities," Will informed them.

"Well, whatever the case, you're here now, so you can stop the Syndicate and save Remnant," Ruby cheered, always the optimist. She did not know just how wrong her guess really was though.

"I'm sorry to say this, Ruby, but we're not here so we can stop the Syndicate. Our job is just to lay the ground work," Tommy admitted.

"The ground work for what," Ironwood asked.

"For the ones that will stop them," Tommy stated. He then dug into one of his pockets to retrieve a collection of shiny gold coins, all the while explaining in greater detail. "The main reason why the Syndicate came here was because your world didn't have a team of Rangers to protect it, but thanks to our friend, Ninjor, we now have the necessary tools to rectify that. Each of us either retrieved or had our old powers restored so that we could come here and deliver these new Power Coins to the ones that will become Remnant's very own team of Power Rangers."

They could hardly believe what they just heard. The idea that this Syndicate of Evil wanted to find a way to not only take control of the Grimm but figure out a way to create their own was crazy enough, but this was a whole different story entirely. Sure, they knew that the Power Rangers were capable of many great things, but the idea that this team of past Rangers was here to give Remnant its own team of them? It was like someone had just offered to make a first-year student into a huntsman, but with a whole new level prestige that outshined and surpassed all the others in the world.

Of course, while all the adults were trying to wrap their heads around this, the eight students could not help but gaze in awe at the coins Tommy was holding in his hand. To think that these little things were the keys to granting a group of people such impressive power…it was simply unreal. There was something else here, though. As each of the young huntsmen and huntresses-in-training studied the coins, they got an odd feeling that was not necessarily in their heads, but resonating in their hearts, bodies, and souls. It was like something was calling out and compelling their entire beings to step forward and do some unknown thing. Whatever it was, they ended up puzzling over it for so long, that they missed any further conversation between Tommy and their professors about how the teachers could assist the Earthlings in finding the people that could be Remnant's team of Power Rangers.

In the end, Ruby and her friends only came out of their sudden, shared trance when Ironwood's Scroll suddenly rang, and he promptly answered it. "Ironwood here," the general said, pausing to let the person on the other end speak. "What?! Are you sure?" Another pause was quickly followed by Ironwood saying, "No, don't engage yet. Just focus on getting people to safety and await further orders."

"What is it, James," Ozpin asked once Ironwood had lowered his Scroll. He was not sure if his friend had hung up or simply put the other person on hold, but he did not like the sound of that conversation, or the slight tinge of panic in Ironwood's voice.

"Bring up a news channel and see for yourself. It doesn't matter which one," Ironwood hurriedly said.

Without even thinking, Ozpin tapped a few controls on his desk, and the holo-screen that was just used to with help Tommy's lesson on Ranger history had brought up the Vale News Network. _"This is Lisa Lavender. We interrupt this program for an emergency broadcast. Just minutes ago, the monsters and robots that had attacked Vale City earlier today had suddenly reappeared, this time with what looks to be several Creatures of Grimm. Huntsmen and Atlesian forces on site have already moved to engage these invaders and monsters while evacuating people to safety, but given how even some of our best were overwhelmed in their first appearance, one can only wonder if we may see the mysterious warriors that suddenly appeared to stop them again."_

True to the reporter's words, it seemed that the Syndicate was on the attack once more, and this time with several Grimm at their disposal. Nothing so dangerous as a Deathstalker, or King Taijitu, but the sheer number of the soulless creatures was more than enough to warrant great concern. Seeing the danger before them, Ruby and her friends were more than ready to rush out, but right before they could, Tommy looked to his team and said, "Think you guys can handle this?"

"You bet," Wes confirmed as he lead the rest of the Rangers over to the side. "Just leave it to us, Tommy."

"Wait, you're not going with them," Ironwood asked.

"Afraid not. At least one of us has to stay behind and keep the Power Coins safe until we can get them to their rightful owners. If it does become necessary for me to step in, I will, but if that does become the case, can I trust you all to watch over them," Tommy asked.

Ozpin barely needed to share more than a glance with his trusted lieutenants before he gave an answer. "Of course, Doctor Oliver. You have my word that we'll do our very best should it come to that."

Tommy nodded in thanks before turning to Wes and saying, "Remember to watch yourselves out there, Wes. Some of you are using powers that have only just been restored for a limited amount of time, after all."

"Don't worry, Tommy, we can handle ourselves," Wes assured him. He then spared a quick glance amongst his fellow Rangers, earning nods from each as he said, "Let's do it! Ready?"

"Ready," the other Rangers chorused as they raised their morphers for action. Wes then joined them as they all cried out, "It's morphin' time!"

In an instant, the Rangers had all morphed into their respective Ranger forms, and after a brief exchange with Alpha, they all teleported out of the room, no doubt heading towards the site of the battle that was still being broadcasted on the live news. At that point, everyone left in Ozpin's office could only watch and hope that the veteran Rangers could handle things.

* * *

"They can't handle this for much longer," Jaune panicked several minutes later.

True to the blonde leader's words, the Rangers were getting overwhelmed by the Syndicate and their forces, mainly because they were still a little new to fighting Grimm. Sure, they were not too big of a problem at first, but as time went on, it seemed like some of the few cracks that remained from the Breach had opened up, allowing more types of Grimm to get in, and strengthening the enemy's forces. The Rangers were doing their best to fight back, some even going so far as to bust out some of their special weapons and equipment such as Wes's Battlizer, Gia's many Legendary Ranger modes, and Trent's Super Dino Mode, just to name a few examples, but it was not making too great of a difference.

From the look of things, Tommy was just seconds away from going out there to help the rest of his temporary team, despite knowing how important it was for him to stay behind so he could protect the new Power Coins. Not that it would have mattered, given he had already secured a promise from Ozpin that they would protect the coins should this happen, but given how dedicated Tommy was to any Ranger mission, you could easily understand why he would want to personally see it through to the end personally. Still, Tommy's base instincts as a Ranger would always win out and prompt him to step in and help others, especially his fellow Rangers when they needed him, so he was more than prepared to finally say screw it and go join the rest of his team. Too bad for him, someone else beat him to the punch.

"We've gotta go help them," Ruby decided on behalf of both her team and Jaune's, much to the surprise of both Tommy and the three huntsmen.

"Miss Rose, I can certainly appreciate that you wish to lend whatever aid you can to those in trouble, but I'm afraid that this may be a little out of yours and your friends' experience and capabilities," Ozpin tried to caution.

"That doesn't matter. We all came to Beacon because we wanted to be huntsmen, and that means that we signed up to do whatever we could to help people," Ruby insisted, the fire in her silver eyes shining so brightly that it almost made Ozpin think that he was looking at her mother, Summer.

"Ruby's right. It's our duty as huntresses to protect the people, even if we aren't officially huntresses yet," Blake agreed.

"Even if we are students, we can't just sit back and watch if there's something we can do to help," Weiss nodded.

"Besides, last time those guys caught us off-guard, but now, we know what we're dealing with, so we can handle them," Yang confidently stated.

"Just because you've paid attention to one history lesson doesn't mean you're able to handle these invaders from other worlds, Miss Xiao Long," Goodwitch scolded, still thinking that these kids had lost their minds. "None of you are ready for this."

"That didn't stop us from going out and fighting the Grimm during the Breach and that won't stop us this time, either," Jaune immediately countered. "Those guys are risking their lives for our city; our whole world, and they're asking for nothing in return! We can't just sit here and let someone else fight what should be our battle for us."

"I agree," Pyrrha nodded. "This is our world, and it doesn't feel right to let someone else fight for it if we have the ability to do so ourselves."

Ren simply gave a silent nod with a smirk while Nora happily shrugged as she said, "Hey, what more can we add to that? They pretty much said it all, and you know they're right."

Before anyone could argue or protest with the students' decision to try and help any further, something suddenly started ringing loudly at the very same time that something in Tommy's pocket began to glow. Pulling out the item in question, they were all stunned to see that it was the eight Power Coins that Tommy had brought with him from Earth. Right when they were about to question what was going on, the Coins shot out of Tommy's hand and began zipping around the room at a rapid pace before they finally came to a stop before Ruby and the other eight, each floating there as they glowed in one of eight different colors, much to everyone's astonishment.

"You've got to be kidding me," Goodwitch muttered under her breath.

"I don't understand," Ironwood gasped. "Why are the Power Coins acting like this? Are they actually…"

"The Morphing Grid is never wrong when it chooses someone to bestow the powers on," Tommy informed the general.

"But there are so many other huntsmen and soldiers in the world who are fully trained that would be better suited for this task," Ironwood tried to argue.

"Maybe, but that's the thing about most Ranger powers. You don't get to choose them; they choose you," Tommy insisted. He then smirked a little more as he added, "And more often than not, the ones they choose for any team consists of overemotional and overbearing humans, or more simply put…teenagers with attitude."

"But are we really certain," Ozpin asked, looking on at the students who were still just standing in place, staring at the Power Coins as they hovered in front of them.

"Only one way to find out," Tommy said as he turned to Ruby and the others. "Reach out to them," the legendary, veteran Ranger instructed. "If you can grasp the coins and hold onto them, then that should be more than enough proof that they've chosen you."

It took a little while before they made any move to follow Tommy's instructions, but after the eight friends had shared a quick look amongst themselves, they all counted to three in their heads, and reached out as one to grab the Power Coin in front of them. A brilliant flash of light followed right after they had extended their arms forward, and when it faded the results had made Tommy grin widely, Ironwood and Goodwitch stare in open-mouthed shock, and Ozpin smirk with a knowing look.

* * *

Explosions seemed to rock the streets of Vale as the villains and their armies blasted the veteran Rangers with every form of attack that they had, and unfortunately, it was taking everything that the Rangers had to just stay in the fight. Sadly, it was not going to last for much longer, as most of the team was already hit so hard that they were forced to power down. At this point, the only ones left in the fight were Wes, Vida, Will, and Tori, and they were just barely holding on as it was. It was only made even more worrying given that Wes and Vida had both powered up to their most powerful modes, Battlizer for the former and Legend Warrior for the latter, and they were still losing. Eventually, it all came down to the moment when one final blast from Rita herself sent the remaining Rangers flying, and when they finally crashed down again, they were all knocked out of their Ranger forms.

Despite being so soundly overwhelmed, none of the Rangers were willing to give up. They were all soon on their feet again and ready to fight, even while unmorphed, but with how many bad guys and monsters were left before them, it did not seem like it would be a fight that they could win without some backup. The Syndicate seemed to realize this as well, since they were all laughing at the admittedly pathetic display of defiance that the Rangers were putting on for them, and the team knew that could only mean one of them was on the verge of some big villain speech or something.

"You see my vile associates. It is just as I predicted and more. They may be Rangers, but there's reason why they had hung up their helmets. Their time has passed, and they've not a true Ranger team," Rita boasted proudly. "I know not what could've prompted you to come here, but it was a foolish endeavor that has done nothing but rush you all towards your doom."

"Think again, you bunch of old rehashes," someone shouted, prompting the Syndicate and the veteran Rangers to all turn just in time to see Tommy rushing onto the scene, ready for action. Unfortunately, his arrival did not seem to warrant any concern for the Syndicate. All it really did was amuse them.

"Well, look who decided to finally show up," Zed taunted. "Unfortunately, it's too little too late even for you to try and turn things around, Tommy."

"Your team of retired Rangers is beaten, we hold the advantage in numbers, and now have allies that have granted us the ability to command the Grimm," Lothor proudly boasted.

"Odds of your victory are now at an all-time low, Tommy Oliver," Venjix declared.

"There's nothing that any one Ranger, alone can do to stop us now, even if that Ranger is you," Trakeena stated.

Right when the revived empress had finished saying that, several loud blasts suddenly echoed through the air, and several Grimm were suddenly turned to dust. Shortly afterwards, a stream of red rose petals seemed to come flying through the area, tearing through several robots and monsters like a knife through butter, until they ultimately formed into Ruby Rose, who brought her scythe down on the closest Ursa. Weiss was soon to follow next, as she used her glyphs to hold several Beowolves in place to ensure she would be able to run them each through with her rapier, and by the time she had felled the last one, she had landed alongside of Ruby, with Blake and Yang following shortly after, and Team JNPR after them.

"Think again, lady. He's not alone," Ruby announced.

When the other veteran Rangers saw the eight kids from before standing with Tommy, they were understandably concerned, so Tommy was not surprised by the first thing that was said once they had all regrouped together. "Dr. O, I get that these kids are tough, but bringing them out into this was not a good idea," Trent admonished as respectfully as possible.

"He's right. You guys need to get out of here for your own safety," Gia told Teams RWBY and JNPR.

"You have no idea the kind of power that these guys have up their sleeves," Will added.

None of the nine new arrivals appeared too offended or upset, as Tommy informed his fellow Rangers, "Even if that were true, then I guess that makes things even, because they don't know what kind of power that these kinds are packing."

"Yeah," Ruby stated, and the next thing anyone knew, she and the rest of her friends were pulling out Power Morphers just like the ones that Tommy and the other original Rangers had back in the day, each with the eight new Power Coins locked into place as she finished the statement. "Because unless they've seen what these new Ranger Powers can do, or if any of them have got a Master Morpher like Tommy's, I think we've got a bit more of an edge on our side this time around."

The veteran Ranger team could only grin, smile, or show some other variety of excited or joyous expression on their faces at the sight of the Power Coins now being wielded by their chosen owners, even as Tommy said, "I had a feeling that there was something special about these kids, and it looks like I wasn't wrong. So, you guys think you've got enough in you to help the rookies out in their first fight?"

Barely more than a glance was shared before the others nodded in agreement, and with that, the team of past Rangers, and the team of newly empowered Rangers turned to face the villains once again, all with a new fire in their eyes that left the villains a little worried. Just before he reached for his morpher though, Tommy looked to the young, red-hooded reaper and said, "Care to do the honors, Ruby?"

Ruby beamed so widely she was sure her face would be split apart when she heard that, even as she happily nodded in reply, but thankfully, she was able to reign her eagerness and excitement in just enough to show she was serious about this, and declared, "You guys ready?!"

"READY," the others all shouted as one.

That was all Ruby needed to hear before she finally got the chance to say the iconic line that she only first heard that morning from Tommy. "IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"

"Dragonzord! Green Ranger Power!"

"Let's Rocket!"

"Time for Time Force!"

"Ninja Strom! Ranger form! Hah!"

"White Ranger, Dino Power!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

"Overdrive Accelerate!"

"Samurai Morpher! Gold Power!"

"Go, go Mega Force! Super Mega Mode!"

While all these code phrases were familiar to the villains, even if only vaguely, it was the last one that was shouted that really grabbed their attention, both due to its unfamiliarity, and because of how it was shouted by the eight huntsmen-in-training that they had been besting earlier that day.

"Huntsmen power! Remnant awakening!"

In an instant, all the veteran Rangers were powered up again in their respective Ranger forms, but this time, they joined by an additional eight newly minted Power Rangers as well, and they were each wearing their colors proudly, even as they readied their powered-up weapons while joining in on the roll call, with Ren starting things off for the new team, and Ruby rounding it out.

"Mighty Morphin' Green Ranger!"

"Power Silver!"

"Time Force, Red!"

"Power of Water! Blue Ninja Storm Ranger!"

"Drago Power! White Dino Thunder Ranger!"

"Pink Mystic Ranger!"

"Kick into Overdrive! Black Ranger!"

"Gold Samurai Ranger, ready!"

"Super Mega Force Yellow!"

"Forest Ninja! Green Hunter Ranger!"

"Shinning Gladiator! Gold Hunter Ranger!"

"Energized Powerhouse! Pink Hunter Ranger!"

"Noble Knight! Blue Hunter Ranger!"

"Blazing Brawler! Yellow Hunter Ranger!"

"Shadow Swordswoman! Black Hunter Ranger!"

"Glacier Fencer! White Hunter Ranger!"

"Rose Reaper! Red Hunter Ranger!"

The villains could hardly believe their eyes and ears, but out of all of them, it was Rita who was the most baffled. "A new team of Power Rangers?! But how?! I was certain that the Morphing Grid didn't extend to this world."

"Guess you were more than a little misinformed," Ruby, the Red Hunter Ranger quipped.

"And now that we've got the Remnant Hunter Rangers on our side, things are no longer in your favor," Tommy finished for her. He then looked to Ruby once more as he asked, "You and your team ready to put those new powers to the test, Ruby?"

Ruby just smirked behind her helmet as she held her powered-up scythe in a ready position, and stated, "As you and your original team used to say, Tommy…this is gonna be morphenomenal."

* * *

_**AN: What? Like we didn't all see this coming? Of course I was gonna do at least one Meeting where the heroes of RWBY basically join up and become their own versions of some team or group in another franchise eventually. And I'd like to think I did pretty well with this one. Originally, I was also gonna include a Megazord fight in the Meeting as well, but at this point, I was starting to drag things out a little, so I just cut it at the ending point you all saw here.**_

_**Ruby: Aw, but I would've wanted to see a giant mecha fight! Oh, and see what our Megazord was like too!**_

_**AN: Yeah...That's another part of the reason why I cut it. You guys wouldn't be driving your own Megazord in this. You'd have just borrowed the Dino Thunder Megazords and joined Tommy and the others in the fight while they piloted the Drive Max Ultrazord and the Shadow Force Megazord.**_

_**Weiss: Uh...weren't all the Dino Thunder Zords destroyed in the final episode of Dino Thunder though? [pauses to see everyone looking at her weirdly] What? So I looked at a couple of episodes for research purposes. Namely for this Meeting. That doesn't mean anything.**_

_**AN: Well, in this case, Tommy would've revealed that he was working on rebuilding those zords for an emergency situation, kinda like how they built a new Astro Megaship in the Forever Red special. Speaking of which, what'd you guys think of the All-Star Ranger team I assembled? I wanted there to be at least one Ranger for all the major colors that have been featured over the years, while at the same time, only bringing in Rangers that were from the Prime Ranger dimension, hence the absence of guys from Dino Charge, RPM, and SPD. And obviously I didn't go into detail on Tommy's review of Ranger history because...well, I'm pretty sure we all know what's what in regards to the Power Rangers by this point, so why rehash what we already know in that regard? That said, let me talk about a few more details that would go into this little story if it were to expand.**_

**_Yang: This oughta be good._**

**_AN: Now since the Syndicate of Evil would be trying to get control of the Grimm, obviously they would have a little run in with Salem, and surprise-surprise, the evil old hag that can't just let things go and insists on holding a grudge against the world would've joined up with them._**

**_Salem: Ex-CUSE me?_**

**_AN: [turns to just look at her while Team RWBY readies weapons] What? That's basically you in a nutshell. I mean, I get wanting a loved one back and all, but everything afterwards...yeah, it all just showed how petty you were. And I'm not sorry for saying it. Do I sympathize with you a little? Sure, to an extent, but really? You've been around for thousands of years, if not hundreds of thousands, or however long its been. There comes a time when you need to just let things go and move on, lady._**

**_Salem:...I will find you in the real world...and I will kill you._**

**_AN: Not if you want me to continue writing and get to a point where you would actually appear in at least Remnant of the Key you won't._**

**_Salem:...Curse you, lyoko Prime._**

**_AN: Yeah, I thought so. Now, back on track, Salem would join the Syndicate, mostly on the grounds that she believes she could seize control of the group from Rita and have them aid in her purposes, if not beyond that, officially getting her into the major villain role for the Power Rangers Remnant Hunters. Meaning a lot of her magic would be used to create the monsters that get sent to attack the Rangers, along with some modified Grimm._**

**_On the Rangers side of things, after this first battle, while Tommy and his team all depart for Earth, Alpha decides to stick around so that he can help the Hunter Rangers in their mission, and with a little help from Ozpin and Ironwood, he'd also be able to help them establish a base of operations outside of Beacon, mainly to better help protect the Rangers' identities as Beacon students. As far as the design of the Hunter Rangers...well, All I really know is what colors they would wear, as you've probably figured out from that last bit._**

**_In case it wasn't obvious: Ren is Green Ranger, Pyrrha is Gold, Nora's Pink, Jaune is Blue, and...well, I think you can figure it out from there. I mean, it should be really obvious who's what color._**

**_Ruby: Wait, what about Oscar? Or Penny? Or really any other characters that we become friends with? Would they become Rangers too?_**

**_AN: Well, I did think of making Oscar into the Silver Hunter Ranger, and maybe make Penny into something like...I don't know, an Emerald or Diamond Ranger, but that's about it. Anyways, like I was saying, I didn't really think too much on the design for the Hunter Rangers' suits, but I kinda figured that it'd be something like a mix of the various Ninja Ranger teams, Jungle Fury, and Operation Overdrive or something like that. Maybe even give them all cloaks similar to Ruby's to better help them stand out, since the only other Ranger team that has everyone so much as wearing a cape would be Mystic Force. The same could really be said for the zords and Megazord. I didn't really think to much about what they would look like or how they would be designed. So long as they looked cool and not stupid, like certain Megazords I could mention *cough* Ninja Steel *cough*, then I'd be cool with that._**

**_Weiss: Uh, I think what everyone would really like to know would be if any of this would prevent the Fall of Beacon?_**

**_AN: As a matter of fact, yes. Yes it would. I mean, the attack would still happen, and something would still happen that would trigger Ruby's silver eyes, but you'd be able to stop the whole thing, regardless of all that. So, there would be no splitting up of Team RWBY, and we'd still get to expand your team's adventures beyond Vale and into other kingdoms as well. That's all I can really say for certain, as this idea is still relatively new. Like, the main reason I ever even thought of it was because I saw some videos on YouTube that set various Power Rangers theme songs to clips from your show, and I started picturing something like that one Power Rangers Legacy Wars video happening to you guys._**

**_Blake: You mean the one where the guys from Street Fighter get Ranger Powers too?_**

**_AN: Yep, that's the one. So, there you have it. An idea that is very young to the point of infancy, and is also an open-ended challenge for anyone to take up, if they want. By all means, go for it, if you think you can handle it. And with that said, we'll see you in the next Meeting, and until then..._**

_**Please read and review, and I'll see you again in the next colorful adventure!**_


End file.
